Déjà vu
by Secret Agent Codename Bob
Summary: Anna has dreams about a boy called Benny Weir, a boy she's never met. But when she meets Benny for what seems like the first time she can't help feeling she's met him before. But this is something much more than Déjà vu. Benny/OC Rated T for safety
1. Dreams and Diaries

_Anna sat down at a table by herself and picked at her soggy ham sandwich. The bustle of the cafeteria was lost in the background. Colours and shapes moved around her. Sounds mixed and blurred together. Laughing, chattering, kissing, munching. The noises tangled themselves up with the other everyday sounds until Anna couldn't tell the difference between a girl talking and the patter of footsteps._

"_Hey beautiful," one sound cut through the cacophony of noise._

_Anna looked up absentmindedly. A figure sat in front of her. It was a person but it looked nothing like a human being. The outline of the figure was fuzzy and the features were distorted. Colours pulsed all over the figure, changing from black to brown to blue to green to white and back to brown again._

"_Hi," her words came out stunted as if her mouth was working properly. Nothing felt right. She felt detached from her own body like she was only a spectator, an audience at a show. _

_Anna looked back down at her sandwich which was the only thing which she could see properly._

"_You're new here, aren't you?" the voice seemed male but the words trailed off and became lost in the other noises of the cafeteria. For a moment Anna wasn't sure if he'd said anything at all._

_Anna nodded slowly._

"_Well, lucky for you I happen to be offering free tours of Whitechapel High to any cute new chicks who want some help."_

_Anna looked up again. The figure was still fuzzy but the colours were starting to sort themselves out. He had what looked like...was it brown hair? Or was it blond? She still couldn't tell._

"_I am the only new chi-girl," Anna corrected herself. _

"_Well, it's your lucky day then isn't it? You're new and you're cute. Guess that qualifies you to a free tour!" It looked like the figure was smiling but Anna couldn't be sure. "I'm Benny Weir," The figure that was called Benny held out what vaguely resembled a hand._

_Anna smiled and shook what she assumed was a hand. "Anna Harrison." _

"_What class do you have next?"_

"_Chemistry."_

_Benny let go off Anna's hand. "So do I!" The figure exclaimed. She was sure he heard him mutter something like "I'm so in." But as with everything there the words were carried away by the verbal storm. "Well then, may I escort you too class milady?" He said in a fake British accent._

"_Yes you may, Sir Weir."_

_They both laughed. Everything stopped. The room fell silent. All Anna could hear was Benny's voice._

"_Does this make me your knight in shining armour?" _

_Anna grinned at the figure. "No. It makes you my tour guide."_

_Benny laughed again. His laugh was contagious. Before she could stop herself Anna was laughing with him – but it didn't feel right. It didn't feel real. The colours pulsed even more brightly and everything started moving all at once. Dots appeared in Anna's vision. The laughter fell away into nothing and the colours faded into darkness. _

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><p>Anna's eyes flashed open. She was panting hard and sweat was pouring down her body. After a few moments of confusion and panic she remembered where she was. She was home, in her room and lying in bed. She wasn't in a strange cafeteria and she wasn't talking with a boy called Benny Weir.<p>

She took a deep breath to calm her nerves and turned to look at her bedside clock. 3:15 am. Anna groaned. This was the fifth time she'd had this dream and every time the dream would wake her up at some ungodly hour in the morning. Why this was happening she had no idea.

She was also confused why the dreams scared her so much. Yes they were extremely disorientating but they weren't frightening. They wouldn't even class as nightmares. They were just weird.

She blinked, her eyes slowly becoming more used to the darkness. At least it was Saturday. She could go back to sleep and wake up later in the day at a more reasonable time. She closed her eyes and tried to get more comfortable but she felt damp from the drying sweat on her body. Lovely. She was not going to go to sleep without a shower or at least a change of clothes.

Anna turned the lamp on and half walked, half stumbled to the wardrobe. After grabbing some new pyjamas she trudged to the bathroom and had a quick hot shower. It was very soothing and she immediately felt better but it had completely destroyed any chance she had at getting back too sleep. Her hair dryer was, shall we say broken,(in a moment of rebellion against her mother she had dropped, well thrown it off the roof. It was currently smashed in several pieces at the bottom of her garden) and the memory of her strange dream was lurking at the back of her mind threatening to return. No sleep for Anna then.

After taking one longing look at her bed she walked at her zombie pace to her desk, her wet hair dripping onto the carpet.

If she wasn't going to get to sleep anytime soon she might as well read something.

She sat down on her swivel chair and sorted slowly through the mess of papers on her desk as quietly as possible so as not to wake her mother, who was currently sleeping off a nasty hangover from the night before.

Finally she found a copy of Romeo and Juliet. Well that was a big fat no. Shakespeare was tedious at the best of times so she was definitely _not_ going to read one at the end at this time in the morning. She dropped it on the carpet and started looking through the desk drawers.

They obviously hadn't been opened in a long time. She gritted her teeth as she yanked the first drawer open. There had to be something to read somewhere. At that point Anna didn't care if it was a maths textbook.

Okay, maybe she wasn't that desperate but still... Nope, that drawer was empty. Brilliant.

Finally after searching another two empty drawers she opened the final one. If there wasn't anything in this one she was stuck with Romeo and Juliet. Ugh. She peered inside and saw at the back, tucked under a couple of sheets of paper, a book. Frowning Anna took it out and inspected the front.

It was covered with plain brown leather with no markings on it. It smelt musty as if it'd been in that draw for a long time – it probably had seeing as Anna didn't remember a thing about it. The corners were worn as if they'd been used frequently. For some reason it felt comfortable in Anna's hand as if she was used to holding it. She carefully opened the book up and squinted to make out the words inside.

_Anna Harrison's PRIVATE Diary_

_Read only if you want a long and painful death_

Anna's frown deepened. She didn't keep diaries! Diaries were for wimps...at least that's what her brother, who had run off with his girlfriend and deserted them, had told her. This was probably a prank. It had to be. Lucy must have slipped it in when she came over for a sleepover or something.

Anna looked more closely at the scribble of words. It was definitely Anna's handwriting: the rushed scrawl which was smudged in some places. A drop of water fell from her hair and landed on the worn paper. She took a deep breath and turned the next page. It had to be a prank, right? She would remember keeping a _diary_ of all things. Wouldn't she?

After reading the third entry she didn't even think about going back too sleep.

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><p><strong>Hey Guys! This is my first proper story (i.e. not a oneshot) so please go easy on me. Let me know your thoughts on it. Good? Bad? A complete and utter piece of rubbish? Let me know! Sorry if the fist chapter wasn't that interesting. It will get better, I promise.<strong>

**Merry Christmas! :) **


	2. The New Girl

**Hey! Merry Christmas! Just to say that I DO NOT own My Babysitter's a vampire. If I did...Benny would have a girlfriend plus Sarah and Ethan would be together. Anyway, without further ado: The story...**

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><p>The day she arrived it rained.<p>

The vampires were happier than usual (as the scorching sun which damned their existence wasn't...damning their existence), the blonde beauties were flitting around school like peacocks as they normally did, the jocks were trying (and failing) to flirt with the cheerleaders and the nerds were arguing about geeky stuff topics as Star Wars, Star Trek etc.

These geeky nerds were of course Ethan, Benny and Rory who just happened to dabble in the supernatural and got themselves into far too much trouble on a regular basis. They were in the cafeteria eating their pathetic excuses for hamburgers when they first saw her.

"It would be so cool to be a robot," said Rory, the vampire ninja. He winked at a passing cheerleader who glared at him. "Think of it. You could swap your arms for guns, be practically indestructible and you wouldn't need to eat or drink. It would be _so _awesome!"

"I'll tell you what would be awesome to have," Benny leaned forward on his chair. "The Force."

Ethan groaned silently. He personally agreed with Benny (the force was cooler than robots! He thought everyone knew that) but now the vampire and the spell master would be arguing for the rest of lunch break. He closed his eyes to listen to the unavoidable battle.

"It would be way cooler to have the Force than to be a robot. Robots get rusty, are completely unreliable and are..." Benny's voice trailed off. Ethan frowned. His best friend would never give up an argument like that. He opened his eyes to see Benny staring in awe behind Ethan and Rory's backs.

"Robots are...what?" prompted Ethan.

A smug smile spread across Rory's face. "He can't think of anything to say _because robots kick The Forces butt_!"Adding emphasis on the last few words. After waiting for a couple of seconds for a reply Rory spoke. "This is the part where you say something about the force owning all..."

"Benny, what are looking at?" Ethan asked.

Benny exhaled slowly. "_Her._" Rory whipped his head round to see what Benny was looking at. He turned back to Benny with a confused look on his face. "What's so special about her?"

"I don't know," Benny said frowning.

Ethan twisted in his chair to see what was going on behind him. A girl with long dark brown hair had walked through the canteen doors. She was slightly shorter than Benny and she was wearing a long green top which hung loosely over her black leggings. After pausing to tuck a loose strand of hair behind her ear she picked up a tray to get some lunch.

Ethan looked back to Benny who hadn't taken his eyes off her.

"Benny, you are just girl crazy," said Rory leaning back in his chair.

"And you're not?" asked Ethan, raising an eyebrow.

"What?" exclaimed Rory. "I just...admire chicks...hotness." He cast a quick glance over his shoulder at the girl. "But I don't see what's so amazing about her. I'll stick to the hot cheerleaders. Benny, she's all yours." Benny didn't say a word.

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><p>Anna looked out over the cafeteria. After spending four months at the other High School in Whitechapel (East Lake High: the most pathetic excuse for a school there ever was) she had <em>finally<em> been transferred to Whitechapel High.

However, the awful school and perverted teachers weren't the only reasons for her to want to move High Schools. The diary which shouldn't exist but did said that the boy 'Benny Weir' went to Whitechapel High. She must have read 'her' diary about twenty times and she still couldn't get over what was written within the pages.

On the third entry of 'her' diary it said that four months ago, when she'd first moved to Whitechapel, she'd gone to Whitechapel High. Then on her first day she'd met a boy called Benny Weir. In the cafeteria. Then during _Chemistry _she'd met Benny's other friends. A blonde kid called Rory and a shy boy called Ethan.

Anna remembered it differently: She had moved into her new house, got up the next morning and had headed off to East Lake High. She'd met Lucy and Marge, watched a nerd get beaten up behind the science lab, choked on the putrid smoke coming out of cigarettes which everyone seemed to be smoking and received several threatening notes, but she'd never met a boy called Benny Weir. Or Ethan or Rory.

Anna _would _have ignored the diary (after all it was most likely a stupid joke), hell, she _should _have ignored it! But her creepy dreams which woke her up all the time and the diary couldn't just be coincidences now, could they? They both told the same story – and that was what was freaking Anna out. She needed answers. Now.

She sat down at an empty table and looked at the thing on her plate which slightly resembled a hamburger. She did not want to eat it.

Anna chuckled quietly to herself as she realised the absurdity of her situation. To sum it up, she was searching for a boy who probably didn't even exist apart from in her dreams and this so called diary. This was madness.

She blamed it on sleep deprivation.

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><p>"Right, I'm going in. Wish me luck," Benny stood up and walked quickly towards the girl's table before he could think of a reason to chicken out.<p>

Rory turned to Ethan. "Do you know who that girl is?" he asked.

"Sort of," replied Ethan, "She's in my math group. Apparently she used to go to East Lake High but she switched schools." They shared a knowing look. Everyone knew what East Lake High was like. "Her name's Anna Harrison. She's a softmore like us, and she is amazing at algebra. That's all I know."

"Does Benny know her?"

Ethan thought for a second. "No. Well if he did he never said anything." He watched Benny walking quickly through the cafeteria towards Anna. "It's probably just another crush. You know Benny. He'll get over it." But even as he said it Ethan wasn't so sure. He wasn't sure he'd ever seen Benny act this way. Benny had been speechless. _Speechless._

It was only Anna's first day but she'd already achieved something which was nearly impossible to accomplish. She had stunned Benny Weir without even looking at him.

Ethan already liked her.

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><p><strong>Hey Guys! Longer chapter this time! Hope you liked it. Let me know your thoughts on it. Also, can any of you guess what's going on? Who's Anna and what's going on with the diary? Is it a fake? If it is who planted it in her house? What's going on with Rory liking Robots more than The Force?<strong>

**I've left a few clues scattered over the chapter so I'd be interested to hear your thoughts.**

**Merry Christmas and happy writing! :)**


	3. The Boy Who Shouldn't Exist

**Hey guys! I DON'T own My Babysitter's a Vampire. Before we start the chapter I just wanted to thank people for the reviews, the favouriting and the story alerts. It means a lot to me to know that people like my story. Anyway, you didn't come here to read a thank-you paragraph, you came to read the story! So here it is...**

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><p>Anna watched out of the corner of her eye as the boy approached her. The slightly paranoid part of her, which she'd thought she'd got rid of a long time ago, told her that she should get up and run away. She shook this feeling off but still wondered why he was coming over to her – and why he looked so nervous. Anna was suddenly struck with an overpowering sense of déjà vu.<p>

He sat down and Anna's eyes were immediately drawn to his hair. It was light brown and done in this messy yet stylish way, all curved up at the front. It seemed familiar.

"Hi," Anna said cheerfully. She had wondered whether he was just coming to ask her out, like those idiot jocks that had as much brain power as a monkey, but as soon as she saw the Star Trek t-shirt that theory was abandoned. Jocks _weren't _into Star Trek.

"Hey," the boy smiled at her. Anna's heart skipped a beat. She knew that voice. It was the same voice which had plagued her mind for days. Did that mean that this boy was...Benny Weir? The paranoid thoughts returned. "Uh, are you all right?"he asked. Anna blinked. She must have zoned out.

"Yeah, I'm fine," after a few tense moments of silence Anna spoke. "I'm Anna." She held out her hand.

The boyish grin on his face grew. "Nice to meet you Anna," his hazel eyes flashed with excitement. They were the kind of eyes a young child would have:eager, mischievous and captivating. "I'm Benny Weir." He shook her hand.

Anna's body went rigid. Benny Weir was real. Shit, Benny Weir was real. Her diary wasn't fake. She'd dreamt about a guy she'd never met. Confusion and paranoia started to take over. What the hell was going on? This was too much. She started hyperventilating.

"Are you sure you're all right?" Benny asked concerned.

"Yeah," she managed to get out. "I...I think I just need some fresh air."

Benny frowned. "But it's raining..." Before he even finished the sentence Anna had got up, muttered 'nice to meet' you and half walked, half ran to the canteen doors. She hated herself for being such a coward but she still didn't stop moving.

She burst though the canteen doors and breathed in the clean, fresh air. The smell of cut grass mixed with wet tarmac filled her nostrils. Within a matter of seconds she was soaking wet but she didn't care.

Emotions rippled through her like a tidal wave. Benny Weir, the boy who shouldn't exist, was inside that very building. Anna looked down at her hand to find it was shaking. Damn it, she thought, why am I such a coward?

Slowly her breathing slowed and her mind cleared.

She sat down on the tarmac to try and think. The initial panic had died down and now she just felt confused, angry at herself and completely at a loss at what to do next. She'd spent so much time trying to convince herself that Benny Weir wasn't real she had no clue what to do now she'd found out he was. She had too many questions and no answers whatsoever.

Anna took a deep breath. If being stuck in a dump of a school for four months hadn't helped her grades, by hell, it had made her stronger. Yes, the old, weak, cowardly Anna would sometimes take over, like just now, but overall she was stronger – much, much stronger.

Her time at East Lake High had taught her one thing:if you wanted something you'd have to get it yourself. No one else was going to give up their time and help you unless they wanted something in return. It was as simple as that.

She wanted answers so she'd get answers. And the best place to start would be Benny Weir. Everything seemed to revolve around him. He was in the diary, he was in her dreams and now he was in her school. The rain poured down relentlessly. Anna's quick, calculated mind started to take control.

First things first; get to know him. Benny had introduced himself first so that meant he probably wanted to get to know Anna as well. She could use that to her advantage. Yeah, she'd screwed up their first meeting, she'd panicked, but she was sure it wouldn't matter in the long run.

And maybe he would be in the same classes as her? With Anna's luck he probably wouldn't but it would be easy to talk to him around school. She thought back to the diary. It said he had two friends; Ethan and Rory. Well, she might as well find out if they were real as well. Right, she had a plan. It wasn't a particularly brilliant plan but at the moment it was the best Anna had.

She stood up with a new found determination. She was back in her comfort zone and Anna already felt better. She shivered in the rain. Maybe she shouldn't have come out here after all. She heard the bell echo in the school building. Right, time for class. She rushed back inside and ran to her locker. Thank goodness she didn't have Chemistry next.

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><p>Benny sat in Ethan's room staring at a sheet of paper, his mind as blank as the sheet. Why couldn't his English essay just write itself? He was still trying to find a spell that would do that. He closed his eyes trying to remember everything he knew about Shakespeare's play 'A Midsummer's Night Dream'.<p>

From what he'd gathered from the video they'd watched there were two hot chicks running around in a forest being followed by two love struck guys. And how did fairies come into this? And that donkey thing? He massaged his temples. He hated Shakespeare and this assignment was _not_ helping his mood.

Anna, like pretty much every other girl he'd spoken too, had completely rejected him. As soon as he'd said his name she'd gone all cold and run off. She'd said 'She wanted to go outside' when it was raining! It was a pretty obvious way of saying 'I don't want to talk to you. Not now, not ever'. At least other girls said it to his face. And now he was back to thinking about Anna again. Great!

Ethan walked into the room carrying two sodas. "So, how much homework have you done?" he asked putting Benny's can on the desk.

"None," groaned Benny. "I haven't even written my name." Ethan popped his soda lid.

"Well...what other work have you got?" asked Ethan slowly, trying to approach the situation carefully.

"Ugh, math," Benny huffed. "That's worse than English – just," he ran his hands down his face. "My brain just isn't working tonight. I keep thinking about Anna." Benny reached up to the desk and grabbed his drink.

Ethan had to resist rolling his eyes. Whenever Benny crushed on a girl, which was pretty often, he would talk about said girl constantly. He would say that he 'Couldn't stop thinking about her' or that he was 'in love'' but Ethan knew in a few weeks Benny would forget all about Anna - hopefully. It didn't make these phases any less annoying though. Sighing Ethan took a seat next to Benny on the floor.

"Look, it's just another girl Benny," Benny grunted and took a long swig of his soda. Ethan obviously wasn't helping. He thought back to the story Benny had told him about his short time with Anna. "Maybe she was just feeling ill."

"Yeah right," Benny mumbled.

"What, it is possible! I mean her hand did go stiff under yours didn't it?" Benny nodded his head begrudgingly. Ethan smiled and took another drink of his soda. "So, that probably means that she _was _feeling sick."

"But E, the word 'probably' means that there's still a chance that she wasn't ill and she just rejected me."

Ethan chuckled. Benny glared at him. "Not helping E."

Ethan grinned. "Benny, you're acting like it was a first date, but it was barely a conversation," Benny took another long drink. Ethan changed tactics. "Benny, she still goes to Whitechapel High so you'll see her again. There'll be other chances for you two to talk. Now come on, let's play Knights of Ninjistu Four. It always makes you feel better." Ethan picked up the game box and waved it in front of Benny's face. "Come on, you know you want to." Ethan started wiggling his eyebrows.

Benny tried to remain serious but in the end he grinned and grabbed the game. "Right, I bet I can beat you at the samurai showdown," he challenged as he slid the disk in.

"Bring it on," Ethan said, glad that the normal Benny was back. He picked up a controller and finished off his soda. He just hoped that Benny would stay Benny-like tomorrow. The two boys eagerly waited for the game to begin, their homework forgotten.

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><p>Well, Anna hadn't been in Benny's class that day but she didn't mind. Besides, she doubted she could have coped with another encounter with Benny so soon. Weak Anna might have made an appearance. She'd just have to wait for tomorrow.<p>

Anna picked up the diary. She must have read it at least thirty times in the last few weeks and she almost knew it off by heart. She skipped the first few entries as they were mostly about her moving house. She snuggled into her swivel chair and started reading the diary as she did every night.

_Entry Number 3:_

_Dear Diary,_

_Today was my first day of school. It was...interesting. My Math teacher's quite nice so I'm pleased about that. Loads of jocks and cheerleaders walking around which was a bit scary. I tried to avoid most people, sticking to myself as I usually do but at lunch you'll never guess what happened! _

_This boy, called Benny Weir, came up to me and started a conversation! I was a bit nervous but he was really nice. He has this strange hairstyle which curves up at the front (I think it's quite funny) and his hair's light brown. He has hazel eyes and he's just a tiny bit taller than me. _

_Anyway, I think he flirted with me (eek!) but I just laughed it off. I sat with him in Chemistry, which was the next class, and I met his friends. There were two of them; Ethan and Rory. Ethan's quite shy but I like him and Rory's... unique. I've never met anyone like him. He's funny and sweet but he isn't the brightest star in the sky, shall we say. _

_I came home and Mum was like Mum. She was just starting on her second pint and as usual she said I had to go to my room cause she had a guy over._

_So, here I am, writing this. I think I might have some new friends! I've got some of my classes with the boys tomorrow so I'll write more next time._

_I'll try and get a picture of them in here so you can see what they look like. _

_Bye!_

Anna closed the book and put it on her lap. This other Anna was scared and shy, completely different to what she was like in reality. Infact, the Anna in the diary was just like Anna had been four months ago, before she'd started at East Oak High.

But the diary had got one thing right. Anna's Mum; Tracy, was a drunk who normally spent every night with her many, _many_ boyfriends. Anna had no clue who her father was and she didn't really want to find out. She carried on reading through the diary until her eyes closed gently and she fell asleep.

That night Anna's dreams were filled with images of Benny and diaries. The rain pattered down outside softly lulling the town of Whitechapel into a deep slumber. The moon shone in the sky and the wind whistled through the leafless branches. Everything was quiet and peaceful...but all that was going to change.

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><p><strong>Wow. These chapters just keep getting longer. I'll try and make them shorter. :) Anyway, I hope you all had a Merry Christmas (I certainly did!) and have a happy New Year! <strong>

**Can I just say that reviews are my lifeline. Without them I can't improve my writing and I won't get any better so please review. I am open to suggestions about different chapter ideas but I have the main plot already sorted out. So, happy writing/reading and once again please review!**

**Bye!**

**P.S. I've decided that I'm going to start each chapter from now on with a diary entry or dream. :-)**


	4. Meet The Geeks

_Entry Number 4:_

_Today has been a mixed day with some ups and downs. I've been hanging around Ethan, Benny and Rory almost all day. Luckily they're in most of my classes so I'm really pleased about that. Around lunchtime I bumped into this girl called Erica. She wasn't pleased with me to say the least. She didn't swear at me or anything, she just called me a dork and an idiot (the guys later told me to ignore her because she says that to everyone), but there was something weird about her. It gives me shivers just thinking about her. I'll avoid Erica from now on._

_Here's some better news: After school Ethan asked me to come round to his house. I was a bit nervous at first (after all, I've only just met these guys) but Ethan's parents would be home and Benny said he'd come over as well so I said yes. Mum wouldn't care if I went out (personally I don't think she'd care if I didn't come back) so I didn't bother telling her. I had to walk over to Ethan's house (it took quite a long time) but when I got there I had so much fun!_

_We watched a Star Wars movie, played some video games (I was awful at all of them but the boys didn't seem to mind) and we had a mini food fight in the kitchen (Benny started it by squirting Ethan in the face with ketchup). Ethan's Mum was quite angry about the mess but she didn't blame me at all, she just scolded the boys. After we'd cleaned up the kitchen I went home. It was the best night ever! _

_I'll write tomorrow. _

_Bye!_

_P.S. I still need to get that picture._

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><p>"Rory, how many times do I have to tell you before you get it into your thick, vampire skull; the Force beats robots? Nothing you can say will ever change that! Now stop telling me about your stupid robots!"<p>

"But with a robot army you could rule the world. Isn't that right Ethan?" A tired Ethan mumbled a faint reply which neither agreed nor disagreed with Rory. It was too early in the morning for this.

Benny let out an exasperated sigh. For the past fifteen minutes Benny had been bombarded with the pros and cons of having a robot army. It was driving him insane. Rory might be a vampire, but he was one incredibly stupid, incredibly persistent vampire.

"Rory, I'm not in the mood, all right?" Benny said slowly, his patience starting to wear thin.

Rory patted Benny on the head. "Is poor little Benny Rabbit feeling a bit sad? I would be too if I couldn't even have a conversation with a girl."

Benny's head whipped round with lightning speed to glare at his friend. "What?"

Rory grinned. "Well, think about it. You went up to Anna yesterday, you said 'hey', you told her your name and she left, just like that," he clicked his fingers. "It's like your name's cursed. Any babe that hears it runs away."

Benny stared incredulously at Rory who continued talking. "Benny Weir; the name which inspires fear and dread in all hot chicks."

Benny narrowed his eyes. "Rory, you are going to be one very dead vamp-"

Someone coughed. Ethan, Rory and Benny all turned to see a girl smiling awkwardly at them. All three boys glanced at each other in surprise. They had _not_ been expecting her to show up again after Benny's...interesting conversation with her yesterday.

"Hi," Anna said. Her dark brown hair which had yesterday hung loosely over shoulders was instead tied up in a ponytail. Her black leggings and green top had been exchanged for jeans and a hoodie. "Am I interrupting something?"

"No," said Benny. "Yes," said Rory at the same time. Benny gave Rory a withering look before he turned back to Anna.

"No, you're not interrupting at all."

Anna's smile became a little less forced. "I was wondering whether I could sit with you," she nodded towards the dark haired boy and the empty desk beside him. "There's a free space but," she cast a quick look at Rory, "if I'm disturbing you...

Benny shook his head quickly. He'd messed up yesterday, big time, so now he had a second chance he was not wasting it – and Rory wasn't going to ruin it for him either.

"No, it's fine, we don't mind, _do we._" Rory was about to speak when Benny jabbed him in the ribs. Rory wanted to continue with their 'perfectly normal conversation' about robots but now Anna was here Benny would have other things on his mind.

"No we don't mind at all," Rory said so as to avoid another jab.

Anna smiled and sat down next to Ethan who was looking rather nervous with the prospect of sitting next to a girl. "Well, Anna you know me from yesterday. It's time for you to meet the geeks. This is Ethan," Ethan blushed from the attention and looked away," and this is Rory."

"You can call me R-Money, R-Dog, The Rorester-"

"Yeah, we get it Rory," Benny cut off Rory in mid-stream. Anna laughed.

"Okay, _R-Dog_, what's our teacher like?" she asked as she got her books out.

Benny groaned while Rory smiled at the use of his nickname and spoke. In his eyes Anna may not have been the typical hot chick (he preffered blondes) but she seemed pretty cool all the same. "Well, he's Russian and he has this really long last name which nobody can pronounce. We all call him Mr T for short. He knows a lot about Physics but he can't teach to save his life."

"He just keeps talking and talking and talking," moaned Benny. "Then he'll make us copy down pages of work into our books and then he starts talking again. It's like he doesn't need to breathe or anything. But, on the plus side we can get away with pretty much anything during the lesson. He doesn't even notice."

"Sounds perfect," said Anna. "Looks like I've got a whole hour to get to know you guys."

"Right," Rory looked Anna in the eye from across the desks. "Anna, this is an extremely important, serious question. Which is better; robots or The Force?"

Anna didn't even need to think about the answer.

"Easy, the Force," Anna chuckled at Rory's dismayed face. "With the Force you could control your own robot. Next time actually make it a hard question."

Mr T arrived then (late as usual) and Anna realised that the boys hadn't been exaggerating. Mr T liked to talk.

After a couple of minutes of Mr T talking Rory leaned over to Benny and whispered in his ear. "Maybe Anna is the girl for you. She likes the Force and you think she's hot. Don't know how you managed to pull this one. Wait, did you use mag-"

"No, I didn't!" hissed Benny. He glanced at Anna to make sure she hadn't heard. She was writing notes into her book. Phew. No harm done. But Rory really needed to watch what he said or one day he was gonna get them all into serious trouble.

"Oh, right." A pause. "Your name is still cursed though."

* * *

><p>Anna rang the doorbell.<p>

A cold breeze rustled through the barren branches. A car drove silently down the road. A street light flickered on and off before sputtering out completely. The moon disappeared behind a cloud. It felt like all the light in the world was being snuffed out, one by one.

Anna waited patiently for the door to open. As she stood, shivering in the breeze, she thought about what had brought her here to this house.

Over the past few days she'd found that most of her classes were with one or more of the boys. It was sheer bad luck that on a Monday she only had Math with Ethan and nothing else. She'd also discovered that spending time with the boys had done three things.

1: It had brought out Anna's inner geek which she'd never known existed. She found out that she loved sci-fi and that her and the boys had a lot more in common than she'd originally assumed.

2: Although she'd only been at Whitechapel High for a few days the school had branded her as a geek. That's what happens when you hang around with the people deemed 'uncool' by their peers. Anna didn't give a damn about what other people thought though, so it wasn't an issue.

3: It had proved that the diary was right about more things than it was wrong. Yes, Anna was a lot different than how she was portrayed in the diary but most of the facts about the Ethan, Rory, Benny were right. She said 'most' because some of the things written in the diary were impossible...

Also Anna had discovered that she was seriously behind on her school work. Being at East Lake High had really lowered her grades and she needed help. Desperately.

Luckily for her, Anna's new 'friend' Ethan happened to be an Honour Roll student, thank goodness. Ethan had offered to give up some of his evenings to help her catch up with all the work she'd missed. So now Anna was going round to the Morgan household every Tuesday, Thursday afternoon and possibly at weekends.

As she gazed up at the Victorian styled house she couldn't help thinking that everything felt very familiar. She shivered. It was all too surreal, the diary, the dreams and now this feeling of déjà vu which she got almost all the time. It was almost too much...but Anna still had questions so she wasn't about to stop now.

Diary Entry Number 4 had got some things wrong though. The walk from Anna's house to Ethan's hadn't been that long at all...in fact it had taken her a lot less time than she'd been expecting. So, here she was, standing on a doorstep at 5:25, early for her 'work session' with Ethan. She shivered. The cold, winter breeze snaked its way around Anna, sending chills down her spine. If this door didn't open soon...She rang the doorbell again. This was the right address, wasn't it? An owl hooted. In the distant cars beeped their horns. Why couldn't this door just open?

"Anna!"

Anna's eyes snapped open. Her eyes had been closed? Why had she closed her eyes? She looked through the open door to see Ethan standing there.

"Sorry, I wasn't expecting you to arrive this early," he looked at Anna with concern. "Are you all right?"

"Um, yeah. I think," Anna blinked. "I...I'll be fine once I've sat down and had something to drink." Anna walked inside the Morgan house slowly, using the door for balance. Her legs felt tingly, in fact her whole body felt strange. It was as if her body was vibrating. Adrenaline cousred through her veins but at the same time she felt exhausted, so much so that her legs could barely hold her up.

"Ok...the living room's to the left. I'll go get you some water," Ethan said quickly as he rushed off to the kitchen.

Anna mumbled something incoherent as she walked in the general direction of the living room. She was barely aware of the squeaking floor boards underneath her feet or the harsh breeze, blowing in from an open window. The room was spinning and dots danced in Anna's vision.

What was wrong with her?

* * *

><p>Benny had been staring at the piece of paper again, still blank, willing his English essay to appear. Nothing had happened yet but Benny hadn't given up. Maybe, if he could concentrate hard enough...<p>

Benny heard a noise from outside. Grateful for the distraction he opened his window and leant out to get a better view. He could see Ethan standing at his front door talking to someone... He couldn't quite make them out as they had their back to him – and there was a stupid tree in the way.

"Are you all right?" Benny thougt he heard Ethan say although he couldn't be sure. The other person said something but they were too quiet to be heard. Not once did the spellmaster think he was invading someone's privacy, Benny's mind just didn't work like that. He leaned out a bit more, desperate to hear the conversation. The figure stumbled inside and Benny could just see...long, dark brown hair?

Ethan had a babe over and he hadn't even told him! Benny huffed and closed the window. He was going to have to go round to Ethan's and find out for himself what was going on.

He grabbed his jacket as he ran downstairs, jumping the last two steps. "I'm going to Ethan's, Grandma," he called and rushed out the front door. Benny breathed in the cold air. He couldn't believe Ethan hadn't told him he had a chick over, that he possibly even had a date.

Suddenly a thought crossed his mind. Long, dark brown hair. The figure had been too tall to be Sarah...and Ethan didn't know any other girls apart from...Anna? Benny stopped in his tracks.

Ethan wouldn't invite Anna over without telling him, right? He wouldn't have a reason not to tell Benny unless...unless it _was a date_. Ethan knew Benny liked Anna so he wouldn't go behind his back like that, would he? Benny gritted his teeth. It was very unlikely, after all Benny and Ethan were like brothers but...you know what they say: Women drive men to do things they would never normally do.

Benny trusted Ethan but it wouldn't hurt to double check, would it? After all, if it was only a social visit he wouldn't be interrupting anything. What could possibly go wrong?

Benny ran up to Ethan's house to find that the front door was open. He took a deep breath and walked inside...

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><p><strong>Stop. Writing. Such. Long. Chapters. Agh! Sorry, but I felt I couldn't split it up into two small(ish) chapters. Thank you again, everyone's who has reviewed, favourited and alerted. I'm quite surprised, yet pleased, at the reaction this story's got and I hope the chapters are getting better!<strong>

**I do have to thank NerdyPenguin for the line 'With the Force you could control your own robot.' I just thought it was the sort of thing Anna would say. Thank you NerdyPenguin!**

**I hope you enjoyed it and remember to review! Oh, and Happy New Year! My New Year resolution: Write shorter chapters. :)**


	5. What a Night

**I'm so sorry for the long wait. This chapter just didn't come easily to me and I've spent ages writing, re-writing, editing and everything else (I still personally don't think it's any good). I was planning to get it up for the weekend but I went to see the musical 'Wicked' (it was so amazing. i'm still in shock) and I didn't get time to write it. **

**I know some of you have theories for why everything's happening (i.e. the diary, the weird dreams etc). You'll just have to wait to see if you're right or not... Anyway, I hope you enjoy the chapter and, once again, I'm sorry for the wait!**

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><p><em>Dear Diary,<em>

_I can't believe I've already spent four days at Whitechapel High! I've almost finished my first week! I'm so amazed at how quickly time has gone. I also can't believe that I already have three friends! At all my other schools I was the outcast, the nerd, the geek but here...well I'm still a geek but at least I'm not alone. At least I actually have friends, real ones that is._

_Ethan, Rory and Benny have been amazing. When I told them about my favourite subjects (science, math etc) and my obsession with computers they didn't even think I was weird. They've made me feel like I am an actual person instead of Little-Miss-Nobody who sits in the corner and reads about the latest type of microscope. _

_Not much has happened recently. The project Ethan and I are working on is going great; we're on schedule and hopefully we'll finish it well before it's due in. I met Sarah for the first time today. Sarah is Ethan's babysitter! Well, technically she's Jane's babysitter (Jane is Ethan's little sister) but he gets so embarassed and it's halarious to tease him about it. Sarah's nice I guess. She's a bit weird. Not Rory weird (can anyone actually be as weird as Rory?) but she was acting a bit strangely... I can't put my finger on it but there's something about her. Actually,now that I think about it, there's something a bit odd about all of my friends, Ethan and Benny included. I'm sure it's just me but still..._

_Anyway, I've got pictures of Ethan and Benny, just not Rory. I'll try and sneak a picture of him later!_

_Bye! xxx_

* * *

><p>By some miracle Anna had been able to make it into the lounge without falling over. She felt awful, as in I-think-I'm-gonna-puke awful. Her body was trembling, her head felt like it was on fire and as she looked down at her hands she noticed that there seemed to be four of them. How bizarre! She tried to laugh but all that came out was a ragged cough. Oh look, now she had eight hands.<p>

Anna heard a noise from behind her? Ethan? She turned around to stare at a figure that was facing her a short distance away. Now who was that? The edges of the figure blurred and started to blend with the surroundings making it impossible for Anna to make out the features. Frowning Anna edged closer to get a better look at it. Actually, now that Anna thought about it this felt like one of Anna's weird dreams. How odd...

Suddenly every muscle in Anna's body tensed. Time seemed to stand still for a few seconds. Nothing moved. Her heart thumped. Her breathing quickened. The colours pulsed.

A clock ticked.

Then reality snapped back into action like a lightning bolt. The pain in her head intensified and Anna's hand immediately flew up to it. The room blurred even more and she began to feel lightheaded and dizzy. The figure never moved.

Her eyes rolled backwards in her sockets and one second she was standing up, the next she was lying in a crumpled heap on the floor. She was vaguely aware of a figure bending over her, was it the same one as before? She couldn't tell. Even though dark clouds were gathering at the edges of Anna's vision she could just make out the persons (or at least she assumed it was a persons) eyes. They were hazel eyes. Hazel eyes... She knew someone with hazel eyes... But who...

Then there was nothing.

* * *

><p>Ethan was starting to wonder whether inviting Anna over had been such a good idea. He was hurrying around the kitchen trying (and failing) to find a glass of some sort for Anna's drink. Anna was obviously sick and he doubted she was going to want to learn about the Theory of Evolution right now. Perhaps he should just tell her to go home. He checked the time. His parents wouldn't be back anytime soon. Mr and Mrs Morgan were currently at their daughter's ballet recital and had left Ethan at home by himself. Well, at least they hadn't gotten Sarah to come over and babysit him. For that he was grateful.<p>

Oh brilliant! He'd found a glass. Finally.

If his parents had been in Ethan was sure that they would have driven Anna home but since that wasn't an option... Sighing he poured water into the glass. Suddenly a thought occurred to him. Benny's Grandma could drive Anna home...but that would mean telling Benny about the work sessions. If his best friend found out that 'the love of his life' was coming over on pretty much every other night Ethan seriously doubted that Benny would let them do any work. In fact that had been the main reason Ethan hadn't told Benny. He knew his best friend would find out eventually but...

Well, Benny hadn't found out, had he? So, forget about Benny and focus on one thing at a time, Ethan thought. First thing on the list: get Anna a drink. Ethan picked up the glass and walked briskly down the hall. He heard a thump. Was Anna okay? Quickening his pace he entered the lounge.

After that things happened very quickly. On the far right of the room, next to a sofa, lay Anna's body. Crouching over her was a person... a person who shouldn't have been there. Ethan squealed in surprise and fright and dropped the glass of water. When it hit the floor glass shards scattered across the room and water flew out in every direction, soaking Ethan's trousers in the process. The figure looked round in surprise. It was Benny.

For a second there was only silence. Neither boy breathed.

"Are you trying to give me a heart attack?" Ethan glared at Benny. He then looked down in dispair at his soggy trousers and broken glass. "And look what you did!"

At first Ethan had been relieved, relieved that it wasn't some robber or axe-maniac, maybe even a demon, and was instead his goofy best friend Benny, but now – now Ethan was just pissed. Why was Benny even here?

Benny bit his lip and looked down at Anna again, trying to avoid meeting Ethan's eyes. The shorter, and slightly soggier, boy glared at the other before rushing up to where Anna lay.

"Is she alright?" he asked.

"She's fine. She'll have a nasty bump on the head tommorow but she'll live," Benny paused. "She fainted."

Ethan bit his lip as he inspected Anna. She was breathing lightly and the colour was slowly returning to her cheeks. After ensuring that she was, in fact, alive he turned his attention to Benny who was looking very uncomfortable.

"Would you like to explain what you're doing in my house?" Ethan waited for an answer but none came. He sighed in frustration and spoke,"You do realise there's a word for what you're doing. Breaking and entering."

"That's three words."

"Not helpful, Benny."

* * *

><p>Ethan took a sip of his 'calm down' coffee which he had made just after he'd changed into some new, dry jeans.<p>

"I still can't believe you broke into my house."

"Technically I didn't _break_ in; the door was open so I just _walked_ in. There's a difference," Benny sipped his cup of hot chocolate. "You should be grateful that it was just me that came in. It _could_ have been an actual robber."

Ethan sighed. This conversation was getting them nowhere. However deep down he felt slightly guilty for leaving the front door open. That was a mistake on his part...but that was no reason for Benny coming in uninvited.

"Yes, it _could _have been an actual robber but it _wasn't. _It was my best friend who has an obsessive crush. That is the reason isn't it? You came to check that the 'love of your life' and your BFF weren't getting it on next door."

Benny huffed but he didn't meet Ethan's gaze. "I told you, I wanted to get a book I'd left in your room last night, I saw the front door open and I didn't want to bother you with ringing and all that. I'd just slip in, get the book and go home," Benny looked at his feet. "Besides, I do _not _have an obsessive crush."

"Yeah right." Ethan chuckled. "Even I could come up with 'I'm getting a book'. I know you practically live here but you should at least warn me in some way before turning up in my living room! How about ringing the doorbell!"

Benny pouted. His 'master plan' had failed miserably. He'd decided to hide in one of the other rooms, all ninja style, and listen in on the conversation, just to make absolutely certain that it wasn't a date. He'd closed the front door behind him, out of habit more than anything, and heard Ethan in the kitchen. He'd been about to use his ninja like skills to avoid detection when Anna had seen him.

Benny shivered. It had all happened so quickly. Anna had stared at him for a second and then she started looking really strange - her skin had gone really pale and her bright amber eyes were bloodshot. The air in the room had started to vibrate and Anna's entire body started trembling, even more violently than it had before. And then Anna was on the floor. Just like that. But the weird thing about it was that he hadn't even seen Anna fall...

Benny had rushed over to Anna, started to check that she wasn't dead when Ethan walked in, perfect timing as usual. Benny must have jumped out of his skin when the glass smashed. It had scared him senseless. So, not only had Benny been caught spying, or as he liked to think of it as 'checking up on his best friend', but he'd made a girl faint as well. Maybe Rory was right. Maybe he _was_ cursed.

"Okay E, I wasn't thinking and I'm sorry," he held his hands up in defeat. "I shouldn't have come in here, I know, and...you're right. I came here because of Anna."

Ethan's eyebrows shot up in amazement. Benny _never_ gave up an argument, he was that stubborn, possibly even more so than Rory. So to have Benny do this, to admit he was wrong _and _apologize was...incredible.

"You must really like this girl," Ethan murmured.

Benny said nothing but his expression spoke for him.

Benny looked across the room at the unconscious form of Anna who the boys had moved from the floor up onto the sofa. Yeah, there was probably some rule or something saying you're not meant to move the unconscious person but surely you weren't meant to leave them in a dishevelled heap. Luckily Ethan had been paying attention in those First Aid lectures and he knew how to put Anna in the recovery position. There was an ice pack under her head where a bump was slowly forming and on the coffee table was a second drink of water, the shattered glass from the first had been cleaned away by Benny as a sort of punishment.

"So, do we just wait for her too wake up?" asked Benny.

"Yep."

"Then what do we tell her?"

"We tell her the truth."

"Ethan!"

A pause.

"Okay, we tell her your lame excuse about the book."

"Thanks E."

Silence.

"Benny, are you watching her sleep?"

"No... Of course not. That would be weird... and stalkerish. I'm not a stalker."

"You kind of are."

"Ptff. I am not."

"Whatever you say Benny, whatever you say."

* * *

><p><strong>So sorry for the bad chapter! I just couldn't write it very well. You should have read my first draft...ugh. Not pretty. I'll probably look back at this in a few days and loathe it with every fibre in my being... Ah well. It's up! That's all that matters.<strong>


	6. Well That Was Unexpected

**I cannot thank you enough for the support you guys have given me. Once again, I'm sorry for the long wait but my hopelessly slow computer decided that it wasn't going to allow me to go on the internet. I apologize for my idiotic and stupidly slow computer. **

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own MBAV *insert witty comment here* however I DO own Anna, her Mum (Tracy) and her unnamed brother as well as any other characters who pop up in the future. ;) Happy reading!**

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><p><em>Dear Diary,<em>

_Today started well, another normal yet fun filled day. Benny decided he'd fool around with the fire extinguisher and ended up spraying himself in the face with a heap of foam. We must have laughed for at least 15 minutes. 'Course he got in trouble with Miss Rivers but it was still hilarious._

_Also we got told this Blood Drive thing was coming here next week and we've all been given these consent forms about what your blood type is and other stuff. I'm not quite sure how to answer all the questions, my brother used to help me with those kinds of things – the kind of things my Mum never bothered to remember. But now that he's gone...I guess I'll find out somehow. Somewhere in this tip of a house there has to be some sort of record of my blood type...surely..._

_Anyway, I'll have a search at the weekend. Mum's actually sober so I'm just gonna avoid her tonight. I walked into the house and Mum yelled at me for at least half an hour. It was the usual, that I'm a selfish, good-for-nothing bitch of a daughter who only cares for herself. Maybe she'll go out to one of the night clubs tonight? I hope so. _

_So, I'm off to go get this homework done and find out my blood type (please let there be some record for it _somewhere_) I'll write soon. I just wish diaries could give you hugs. That would be nice. _

_Love, Anna. xxx_

* * *

><p>"How are you feeling?"<p>

Anna wearily lifted her head from her hands to look at Benny. It was 9:15 in the morning, she'd managed to forget all of her books for the Friday lessons and she felt like someone was hitting her over the head with a sledgehammer. What fun!

Anna raised an eyebrow. Benny got the message.

The girl _did_ look like she'd been dragged through a hedge backwards and that was very nearly the truth. Anna had regained consciousness the night before feeling completely disorientated. She'd awoken to two very nervous teenage boys, one of whom Anna hadn't been expecting to see. Ethan's parents had gotten back early from a ballet recital or something (thank goodness) and Ethan's Dad offered to take Anna home. Of course she'd said yes.

She'd arrived back at her house with a throbbing migraine and a lump on her head which was increasing in size. Anna had opened the front door and Ethan's Dad had driven off, saying that he hoped shed get better. She'd just taken her jacket off when her own mother, who on that night was actually _sober_, had decided that Anna was a useless daughter and a 'waste of space'. Anna had been hit with a frying pan (which added to her growing bruise collection) and forced out of the house.

She'd had to crawl through their neglected garden, vault the fence, shimmy up the gutter and squeeze through her, thankfully, open window. And she did all this with a headache. Impressive or what?

Anna had fallen into a troubled sleep, waking up at two in the morning to puke in the toilet. Then, of course, she'd had to clean up the vomit with no help from her mother (who was probably out cold on the sofa). Then, at 6 am, the alarm clock woke her up. Joy of joys. Any normal child with normal parents would have stayed at home but the last time Anna had attempted such a daring feat she'd been...severely punished for it. She had no desire to relive that.

So here was Anna, sitting in a classroom waiting for the nightmare of school to be over. Benny looked around awkwardly.

"I'm...I'm sorry."

"Why?" Anna mumbled as she put her head on the desk, "it's not like it's your fault that I fainted."

Anna cringed when she said the F word. She'd only fainted once before, two years ago, and it had been the most embarrassing moment in her life. She'd wanted the ground to open up and swallow her whole but no such luck for Anna. And the worst bit was it had been right in front of the guy she'd had a crush on. On their first date. In the middle of the mall. Jamie had never spoken to her again. Anna didn't blame him.

Benny said nothing. He couldn't help but feel a little guilty. After all, she only fainted after she saw him when she didn't expect to...he knew that he probably had nothing to do with it but logic never worked on Benny.

"WAZZZUPPPP?"

Anna jumped and then groaned as a new pain shot through her head. Benny glowered at the annoying, stupid, LOUD vampire.

"Do you mind?" asked Benny gesturing at Anna.

Rory frowned for a second before noticing the groaning girl.

"Wazzupp?" he whispered. Benny felt like slapping him.

"Anna came round to Ethan's last night-"

"Wait, you guys had a party without me?" exclaimed Rory who then he grimaced at Anna's moan. "Sorry," he said much more quietly.

"No, Ethan and Anna were having a catch-up-on-work session when I..." Benny paused casting a quick look at Anna, "when Anna fainted."

Rory's eyebrows shot up and he looked at said girl sympathetically, "You fainted? Tough break dude- er, I mean...dudet." Rory smiled weakly before his eyes started to twinkle in that mad yet endearing way, "You won't guess what happened last night. I was walking home and I...er, stopped for a _snack_ when I met thi-" before he could finish the bell rang in the hallway.

"Well, R-Dog's gotta run! I'll tell you all about it at lunch. Catch you later!" and with that the blonde disappeared before Benny could even blink. Luckily Anna was completely oblivious to the world around her so she didn't notice the suspiciously fast moving teenager disappear from sight.

That brought up another awkward topic. The truth. Where they going to have to tell Anna about their...talents? Should they? What with Rory showcasing his vampiric abilities at every opportunity and supernatural creatures visiting every other week with some evil motive she'd probably find out sooner or later. But should they be the ones to tell her? Would she be safer without the knowledge or knowing exactly what she'd got when she moved here? Or was Benny just afraid that she'd reject them for what they were? She was into sci-fi and other 'geeky stuff' so she should be cool with it but...there was always the dreaded 'what if'.

Before he could come to a conclusion the teacher walked in bringing with him a dark cloud which promised dreariness and dull lessons. Friday's classes where generally all right but the distraction of what might happen in the evening always got in the way.

Benny cast a fleeting glance at Anna. Her eyes were dark and bags were starting to form underneath them. He was surprised she could even keep them open.

He wondered how long it was till she gave in and collapsed.

* * *

><p>Benny watched from the corner of the emptying corridor as Anna headed in the general direction of her locker (note the word general). This was getting ridiculous. In the lesson just before lunch Anna had finally crashed, falling asleep during a 'fascinating' lecture on the evolution of man. Unfortunately for her the teacher had noticed and she'd been asked to 'see him after class'. Benny sympathised with her as he knew what those four words meant.<p>

Checking to see that no one was looking the spellmaster in training flicked through his book of spells searching for the one he wanted. He'd been browsing through it only a few nights before when he'd stumbled across this spell. After a few weeks of Benny practising magic his Grandma had decided that there were some spells which were simply too powerful and, more importantly, too _dangerous _for Benny to perform safely. Benny's Grandma was a wise woman. She'd gone through the book and circled each 'low level' and 'non-destructive' spell she saw intrusting Benny to only ever use these.

It was Benny's lucky day. The spell he had found was circled.

"Hey Benny-"

Benny almost dropped the book.

"Ethan, you're turning into Rory," Benny moaned at his friends sudden appearance. Thankfully he hadn't been casting the spell otherwise things might have gone wrong... even more so than they usually did.

"I'm not _that _bad...am I?" Ethan asked anxiously.

"Okay, you've not reached Rory extremes yet but you're getting there."

"Moving swiftly on...what are you doing?" Ethan caught a glimpse of the spell book, "Oh, Benny! You're not trying to do magic are you? You know what happened last time." It had involved chickens, a ghost, thirty cones of ice cream and a feather. Not pretty.

"Trust me E, I know what I'm doing...I think..."

Ethan raised an eyebrow. "That's what you said last time. I still haven't got over the trauma of eating all that ice cream and you know I hate vanilla," then Ethan caught sight of Anna across the hall, "Benny, please please _please _tell me you're not trying another love spell. I don't want to spend another night in that cage."

"Benny's doing a love spell?"

This time both boys jumped.

"_Rory!_" they both hissed. Said boy shrugged and looked at Benny waiting for an answer.

Benny sighed at both boys and prayed Anna wouldn't spot them 'spying' on her. She'd finally made it to her locker and was searching through its contents no doubt looking for the right books.

"No, I am _not_ doing a love spell. Besides, that was a _potion_, not a spell. You know how Anna crashed and burned last period, yeah well this spell is going to help her stay awake for the rest of the day."

"This is going to end in tears Benny. There are a hundred different ways that this could go wrong," Ethan warned but was blatantly ignored by the spellmaster.

Anna started to close her locker.

"Well it's now or never," Benny looked down at his book once more, just to check to the words. Ethan gritted his teeth and took another quick look around the corridor which was now empty apart from Anna, Rory, Benny and himself.

Anna turned her back to the boys and walked at her zombie pace down the hall oblivious to what was going on behind her. Benny held out his hand and whispered a few words and a bright orange light shot out of his finger tips. Then the most extraordinary thing happened. Well, maybe considering this was Benny it wasn't that extraordinary.

The light spiralled through the air like an out of control torpedo when it bounced off Anna and flew backwards hitting Benny full in the face. He was flung backwards and crashed into the blue lockers behind him, denting the lockers ever so slightly. Ethan and Rory hurried over to help Benny up when they stopped in their tracks. Ethan's jaw fell open and Rory burst out into an uncontrollable fit of laughter.

"Dude," he spluttered out in between shrieks of laughter, "what happened to your face?"

Ethan suddenly remembered that he could move and pulled Benny up. "Are you okay?" he asked after finding his voice.

"Yeah, I'm...I'm fine," Benny reached up a hand to rub his head.

"What just happened?" Ethan spun on his heels and saw Anna walking slowly towards them wincing every time her feet met the ground. This was _not_ what they needed right now. Ethan stepped in front of Benny but unfortunately Ethan wasn't quite tall enough to block out Benny's entire face and, well, the change was quite obvious.

"Benny, are you all ri-"

Anna's mouth opened slightly in surprise, her unfinished sentence hanging in the air. The only noise was Rory having a massive giggle fit. The boy frowned at the three of them, still unaware of the...deveolpement.

"What? What is it?" he exclaimed.

Anna took a step closer, "Uh, Benny...when did you grow a beard?"

Benny gulped and reached up a tentative hand to his face. He paled as he felt the tangled mass of ginger hair in between his fingers. Ethan looked anxiously from Anna to Benny. When he had been going through all the possible outcomes of Benny's spell this had _not_ been on his list.

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><p><strong>Reviews are welcome!<strong>


	7. What Could Possibly Go Wrong?

**I'm really sorry for the long wait but I have a good excuse. My Gran was taken into critical care and the family has been in meltdown. Also my well of inspiration and motivation has been run dry recently leaving me a bit stumped. But it's here now! And to make up for it I've given you a long chapter! I do NOT own MBAV (just in case you haven't got that already) but I do own Anna, Tracy, Anna's brother and any other characters I decide to throw into the mix. Enjoy!**

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><p>"<em>So you didn't give any blood then?"<em>

_The swirling mass of colour which called itself Benny stood next to her – or was he standing? She couldn't really tell. _

"_No. I couldn't find any records of my blood type so they wouldn't let me do it."_

_Once again Anna was trapped inside her dream self, unable to move of her own free will or ask the questions which had been building up inside of her for what seemed like a lifetime. Every dream had a set path which it always took, Anna was merely the onlooker, the witness to whatever her subconscious had prepared for her._

"_Don't worry about that, loads of guys didn't participate," Benny's voice stood against the thousands of other noises but even though Anna could identify it as the Benny she knew from real life it still sounded distorted and cracked. Even though there was something disquieting about the sound but at the same time it gave Anna a little spark of comfort. It was like a little light standing alone in the darkness and she couldn't quite work out why that was._

"_But they had a choice in it. Think about it, someone in the world could die because I couldn't find out whether I was an A positive or B minus or-"_

"_Anna," Benny's voice dropped to a whisper and suddenly the deafening noises which painted the backdrop to her dreams grew quite too as if they also wanted to hear what the boy was about to say, "you need to stop worrying. It doesn't matter. Let it go, all right? People die every day so the chance that one pint of blood could have saved them is extremely unlikely."_

_After a few seconds Anna spoke. "Fine," and with that the normal level of volume, which was almost deafening, returned, "but I'm still mad at Mum." _

"_All right then," the sound of nails being run down a blackboard enveloped Anna for a few seconds before disappearing, "Oh, great! Lunch. Finally. Maybe Ethan will feel up to eating something after his little 'rest'." _

_Obviously they had had been sitting down because everything suddenly moved. Colours rushed past and a whole new layer of noise greeted Anna's ears as is a door had been opened. Then Benny put his arm round her and she felt it. She had felt it. The dream state Anna looked at distorted image of Benny and smiled – and then blushed. _

"_Any idea what they're serving?"_

"_Nope. Does it really matter? It'll taste awful no matter what. I swear that dinner lady's out to poison me."_

"_Thanks Benny, now I'm gonna have nightmares of killer dinner ladies."_

"_Don't worry, the brave Sir Benny will be there to defend you from the evil hairnets of doom."_

_They both laughed and once again it felt stunted and uncomfortable as if only to fill and empty gap. Slowly everything started to fade away until Anna was left in complete darkness. Her little light had finally gone out._

* * *

><p>Anna stared in surprise at the unexpected sight before her. Benny had a beard. A <em>ginger<em> beard more to the point. This was too unreal for words. His face looked all wrong with a massive tangle of hair cluttering his chin which had looked perfectly fine before. Had she fallen asleep again and this one of her absolutely bonkers fantasies. She hoped it was. It looked so real...but no. It couldn't be _real_, that would be impossible. People don't grow beards in minutes right?

Benny's expression mirrored Anna's, one shaking hand nervously stroking the ginger strands of hair which had appeared. How on earth were they going to explain this to Anna? Oh yeah, I was just trying to be a good friend and cast a spell on you which backfired as all my spells do and now I've got a beard. Well at least the spell hadn't worked or it would be Anna with the facial hair – and that was a horrifying thought.

"Benny?"

The spell master blinked and did a small side step to hide his spell book from Anna plus he was stalling for time. He needed an excuse for his new fashion accessory but...

"This...this is...a...fake beard," Benny said slowly hoping Anna was too tired to notice his anxious expression.

Anna frowned. Was it just her or could she see the roots? No, it was her imagination. She was practically dead on her feet and everything was vague and blurry at the best. There were no roots. No roots.

"Why...why are you wearing a fake beard or do I really not want to know" she asked looking around the circle. Rory was just about recovering from his hysterical fit and Ethan looked stunned. Maybe the beard had that affect on everyone.

"Well you see, I...because" Benny cast a nervous glance at Ethan in a silent plea for help.

"Because we dared him," Ethan answered quickly.

"What dare-"

Ethan elbowed the vampire in the ribs. Why did Rory have to be so Rory-like and why now?

"Oh right, _that _dare," Rory offered Anna a weak smile.

Said girl looked around at the three boys her eyes falling once again on Benny's fake beard. It really did make him look completely ridiculous – and for some reason cute.

"Let me get this straight, you could have dared him to anything and you chose 'wear a ginger beard in school'? Was that the best you could come up with?"

"Hey, we're wimpy geeks okay? Give us a break," Ethan said hoping that he sounded more convincing than he felt. Anna shook her head in exasperation and let out a sigh.

"Okay, I guess. Are you going to walk into lunch with that beastie on or are the guys just gonna take pictures?"

Benny could have died then and there. Pictures? He didn't even want to look in a mirror so he did not want any long lasting reminders of his mess up. He could see the look in Rory's eye and if he wanted to leave with whatever little was left of his pride he had to retreat now.

Before Benny could answer Ethan cut across as if sensing his friends predicament, "is anyone else here starving? I'm just dying for some of that meatball goodness."

Anna rubbed her eyes. Her talk with Mr Hennigon had been exactly what she hadn't needed. She felt even worse than she had a few hours ago if that was even possible. Heck, maybe meatballs were just what she needed even if they were undercooked and drowned in gloop.

"Sure, I don't really mind. Besides that beard is creeping me out," Anna walked away with Ethan and Rory but stopped when Benny didn't follow, "you coming or not?"

"I've got to make a pit stop but I'll catch up with you," Benny said hurriedly.

"Okay, see you in the cafeteria then. Oh, and Benny, never grow a beard. Please?"

"Trust me, I'm not planning too."

Ethan looked pointedly at Benny before walking away with Anna. Benny picked up his spell book and was about to make a hasty retreat to the boys bathrooms when he heard a "Say cheese," and a camera take a snapshot. Groaning he hurried off taking his phone out of his bag. Gramma was not going to happy with him.

* * *

><p>Ethan watched a very grumpy but thankfully beard free Benny walk towards the table carrying a tray. He gave the grinning vampire a reproachful glance before sitting down to enjoy his meatballs covered in a thick layer of gloop.<p>

"So, you got rid of the beard then?" Rory asked smirking. He'd not been able to get the hilarious if not slightly disturbing image of Benny with his big bushy beard out of his head and even better he know had a new screen saver for his computer.

"Nope," Benny speared a meatball with his fork and plopped it into his mouth, "I called Gramma and after a minute of her laughing down the phone and telling me to take pictures she told me which page this concealing spell was on. I took a couple of attempts and I doubt I'm ever going to find my ruler again but it worked; the beard of doom is gone – for a few hours at the very least. And nothing blew up which is always a bonus. Gramma's gonna fix up a potion to remove it permanently tonight."

Ethan took a sip of water. "You can do it at ours if you want. Parents are out, Sarah's babysitting _Jane_, not me, _Jane _so it should work out."

"Thanks E," Benny grinned before devouring another meatball. "Where's Anna?"

Rory leaned back on his chair, "the dudet said she had homework to do. Oh, that reminds me! Last night I met this guy handing out posters for this 'mystical carnival' funfair thing," Rory reached into his pocket and pulled out a crumpled piece of paper along with a few coins and a bit of string. "They're here for a week."

The words 'The Carnival of All Things Mystic and Mysterious' were written out in dark purple at the top of the poster. Images of cauldrons and bubbling potions were dotted around. 'Haunted House', 'Hall of Mirrors', 'Love Potions' and 'Tower of the Undead' were written all over the dark poster.

"It looks lame," Benny gave his final verdict after a quick sweep of the poster before annihilating another meatball.

"I think it looks kind of cool." Rory stated looking at Ethan for support.

"Wait, what is that?" Ethan pointed at the corner of the poster where there was a picture of a hooded figure with its hands outstretched holding a crystal ball. Underneath it said 'Are you brave enough to venture into the realms of the future? If so then visit Madame Giry, the teller of tales and the seer of the future'.

"Seer?" Ethan looked at his two friends in surprise, "do you think that this...Made Giry might be a seer like me? I've never met one before and I'd-"

"Ethan buddy, they're carnies. They make stuff up that sounds cool and awesome but when you get there it's all one big rip off. I mean, look at this 'Tower of the Undead'. Just one big tower filled with fake dummies and colourful lighting. One big illusion!" Benny looked at Ethan's downtrodden expression.

"You're probably right about this but still, I want to check it out," Benny sighed but nodded his head in submission. "All right, we'll go check out this 'carnival' but if we get robbed, mugged, cheated or made fools of in any way it's on your head."

"Fine by me," Ethan grinned. Rory took back the poster and stuffed it in his pocket. "This is gonna be so awesome. We can bring Anna and Sarah – provided the weather doesn't suddenly go all sunny."

"Well we'll just have to hope for more miserable weather," Benny shovelled the last meatball down his throat, "won't we?"

* * *

><p>Anna sat on her swivel chair staring at the blank wall. It just stared back at her, unresponsive as always. How she wished that walls could talk back, comfort you when you were feeling down and praise you when you achieved something. It was a little like the Anna from her dreams felt about her diary. She wanted to be loved just as much as this Anna did know. And the one person who was meant to be there to do these things was unconscious half the time and drunk for the rest.<p>

Shaking her head in an attempt to push these thoughts from her mind Anna pulled out her trusty notepad and her greatly chewed pen. In her opinion doodling was under appreciated. It was calming, if not too helpful to grades, and if the artist in question did their job properly they could produce quite a beautiful piece of work...some of the time anyway.

Anna loved doodling so much she had an entire notebook, the very one she was holding in her hand, devoted to the art of doodling and right now she couldn't think of anything else she'd rather do. She flicked through the pages which contained odd things such as old fashioned cameras, cheerleaders making a star position, lotta late cups (which for some reason had been banned a few months ago) and a full moon until she reached an uncluttered page.

For a few minutes Anna got lost in various cats and trees and flowers when she was suddenly hit by the inspiration to draw a girl with blue hair, sparkling eyes and something of a fake smile. She didn't even notice she'd drawn it until it was finished. How odd, but that was how most of her doodles took shape.

Yawning she closed the pad only feeling suddenly drained. She'd been tired all day thanks to a little spot of illness and sleep deprivation but no matter, it was the weekend and as every teenager did she was looking forward to it. A nice, lazy, Saturday spent in bed, as long as her Mum didn't decide to interrupt, and a fun filled Sunday spent at a funfair with her fellow geeks.

How wrong she had been.

* * *

><p><strong>I know this chapter starts with a dream instead but I thought I'd do something different! Reviews are welcome and appreciated. :)<strong>


	8. The Carnival

**Why hello there FanFiction. It's been a while since I've seen you isn't it. About two months if I'm correct. Well, I can't apologize enough for that and I understand if you hate me and what to shoot me but the next chapter is here...finally! So thank you for coming back to read this story and I hope you enjoy.**

**Note: this is mainly setting things up for the carnival story arc. There isn't much action here but next chapter there will be more. :D Enjoy the chapter!**

**_Disclaimer: No, I do not own MBAV, have no fear. Nor do I own anything else geeky that the boys talk about. If you thought I did then I'd be worried._**

* * *

><p><em>Dear Diary,<em>

_Another dull day in Whitechapel. The blood drive came to school and I wasn't allowed to donate blood and just because I fainted before I even got to the room! All I did was sit out in the school nurses room with Benny and Ethan (who also managed to pass out at the sight of needles) which makes it a little less embarrassing. I still have no idea why I did faint though. I've never really done that before but I guess it doesn't matter. I'm still coming in to school tomorrow no matter what nurse says. I am _not _staying at home with Mum, not after last time._

_Rory was on edge though. When I bumped into him in the corridor he squealed, said something about 'not doing anything suspicious' and ran off. It was weird but then again it _is_ Rory I'm talking about. I'll give him one thing though. He is one fast runner._

_After school Ethan wanted to give some blood after all, despite the whole fear of needles so I walked home by myself and found that Mum had got a guy over. I locked myself in my room and did homework. He'll be gone in the morning though. They never stay, thank goodness._

_And then, as if my day couldn't get any better I threw up out the window! Perfect. But I'm still going to school. Nothing's going to change my mind._

_So, good night diary. I'll write soon._

* * *

><p>Anna tapped her foot impatiently on the edge of the pavement. Did nobody in this town know the meaning of punctuality? Twenty minutes was understandable but half an hour was pushing it.<p>

Sighing she checked her phone hopefully for any improvements but no, it still refused to work properly.

The boys should have been here fifteen minutes ago and as her phone had gone and died on her last night Anna wouldn't know of any change in the plans.

Another ten minutes dragged by.

Hopping from foot to foot Anna tried to distract herself from the slowly building agitation in her stomach. At a loss for inspiration she looked back at her current place of residence, the gringy, tiny, pathetic excuse of a house that she called home. Everything which wasn't cluttered with takeout menus (Anna could never depend on her Mother for cooking who was rarely conscious for dinner time) or empty bottles of alcohol was layered either in grime or broken. Anna could only dream of a hot shower.

But even though you wouldn't believe it this house was still better than their old apartment. The girl still wondered how her Mum had managed to afford a proper two-storey house. Perhaps she didn't want to know.

Finally Anna heard the roar of an engine and an old fashioned, scarlet coloured car spluttered along the road until it shuddered to a stop. A window winded down to reveal the grinning face of Benny who had for some unknown reason decided to wear blacked out sunglasses.

"I'm here to collect a Miss Harrison, would you know where to find such a lady?"

Anna sighed but for some reason the furious chastising she had planned to give them failed to come out. "You're late. By forty-three minutes if I'm right," Anna paused surveying Benny's new accessory before saying, "and please take those sunglasses off. You look ridiculous."

"That's what I told him but does he listen to me? No."

Anna looked up to see a girl get out of the car. Her chocolate brown hair tumbled down her shoulders, her dark eyes sparkling. And thanks to Anna's creepy diary she had a pretty good idea who this was.

"The weather's miserable and although there's no sun whatsoever he, being Benny, insists on wearing them. Plus he kept calling me Sarah Conners," the girl continued.

"What? With these bad boys I look like the Terminator! Chicks dig that sort of thing."

"Take it from a girl who's actually dated in real life and not on a computer game. They really don't."

Benny's grin just grew wider. "That's only your opinion. Give it a few weeks and girls will be queuing up to get a shot at this."

The girl just rolled her eyes before switching her focus to Anna. "Hey, I'm Sarah."

Sarah held out her hand and after a moments pause Anna shook it.

"Anna Harrison," Anna's smile didn't quite reach her eyes.

So, Sarah was real as well. She couldn't help but feel disappointed. The diary had yet to be proven wrong which only made Anna more nervous by the day. Questions buzzed around her like a swarm of bees, that feeling of foreboding starting to creep back.

"So, how do you know the boys?" Anna asked absentmindedly.

"She's Ethan's babysitter!" called Benny.

A muffled Ethan yelled out of the car, "She's Jane's babysitter, _not mine_! How many times do I have to tell you that?"

Sarah smiled. "The Morgan's pay me to babysit Jane but I often end up looking after the nerd squad. I don't know why I haven't met you sooner. The guys wouldn't stop talking 'bout you last Friday. Feels like already know you."

_It's funny you should say that..._

Benny coughed. "Sorry to break up the girly chat but shouldn't we get going? After all we are _forty-three_ minutes late."

Anna arched an eyebrow. "Forty-five now but yeah, we should hit the road. Otherwise we'll get there to find the park's shut."

Sarah nodded in agreement. "And I have a bad feeling it's going to rain later today," she looked up at the threatening dark clouds gathering on the horizon before climbing back into the car along with Anna.

The engine spluttered into action and very slowly started they to inch forward. "Where's Rory?" asked Anna noticing a member of the group was missing.

"He'll meet us there. Said he needed to catch a bite," Ethan said before sharing a quick look with Benny.

She nodded absentmindedly, gazing out of the window at the colours which flew past. Benny launched himself into full geek mode, quoting the Terminator left right and centre. A knot of apprehension formed in Anna's stomach as she thought about the carnival. She didn't quite know what to expect. After all she'd never actually been to one before, had she?

* * *

><p>"So, this is a carnival then?" Anna stared wide-eyed at the sprawling mass of tents which lay before her. Vibrant blues, deep reds and emerald greens dotted the landscape and people could be seen everywhere occupying every available space possible. Loud funfair tunes were being blasted through loudspeakers drowning out the chatter of the crowd. Streamers flew through the air and the sickeningly sweet smell of cotton candy hung in the air. Anna gulped. There were just so many people. It was like the whole of Whitechapel had turned up for this. How easy would it be for her to get crushed?<p>

"Not a carnival, _the _carnival."

Anna yelped.

"Rory!"Anna spun on her heels to come face to face with said boy, "someone ought to tie a bell to this boy, that way we won't all die of heart attacks."

Rory gave her a rather sheepish grin. "I'm working on it."

Anna shook her head, inwardly cringing at her comment that had come out much harsher than intended. Perhaps the nerves where getting to her. Pushing these thoughts away from her the girl turned her attention back to the carnival. "It's a bit...bigger than I was expecting."

Rory started hopping up and down like a five year old who'd just been given free reign of a sweet shop. "Yeah, but big is great! Better than great! Try fantastic! I haven't been to a carnival since I was ten. Then I got banned..."

"Let's not revisit those memories," Ethan said hurriedly, shutting Rory up before he could carry on.

"Well, it looks alright...but, what is there to do?" Anna asked uncertainly.

"What isn't there to do?" Rory exclaimed still bouncing up and down, "there're rides, halls of mirrors, shows, food, games, bumper cars, haunted houses, Ferris wheels, seers-"

"Uh, that's great Rory," Benny, whose 'Terminator' glasses had been confiscated by Sarah, said quickly noting Ethan's panicked expression, "but what are we going to do first? You know, make a plan of some sort?"

"Nah, plans are boring. I'm off to explore. See ya!" And with that the blonde haired boy disappeared from sight. Anna blinked in surprise. The diary was right. Rory was fast.

Sarah glanced at the boys.

"I should probably run after him right now, shouldn't I?" Sarah asked.

"That would be a good idea," the dark haired boy said.

Sarah nodded. "Ethan, you come with me. You two can look together. I'll meet you guys at the haunted house in an hour okay?" Ethan nodded and the two ran off through the gates and merged with crowd, disappearing with sight.

Anna looked up at her one remaining companion slightly bewildered by how organised everyone seemed.

"Isn't this meant to be a group outing?" she asked.

"Oh don't worry, this is normal. Most group outings are spent chasing after Rory." _No wonder they were so efficient._

Silence fell between the two of them.

"So...should we go and search for him too?"

"Yeah," Benny nodded, "first we'll try the ice cream stand, the candy-floss stall, then maybe there'll be a pizza parlour..."

Anna grinned. "Don't forget the hot dog vendor."

"Of course not! Who could forget about the meaty goodness that is hot dogs?"

"Well then, let the search begin!"

As they walked Benny continued to list another ten food stands, Anna simply content to listen. The rampaging butterflies inside her seemed to be easing their assault. How could Benny's babble be so calming? But then again it didn't really matter why, did it?

They became one with the crowd and following their noses to the nearest vendor. From the shadows of a tent a figure watched their progress before slipping back into the shadows.

* * *

><p>Ethan pushed back the tent flap and stepped inside. Burning incense and scented candles could be seen in every corner of the tent leaving an overpowering yet beautiful aroma. Everything was scarlet coloured and Ethan had to stop to let his eyes adjust to the dimness. The room, if it could be called one, appeared empty.<p>

He and Sarah had searched for half an hour before they decided to split up. It had just been coincidence that he'd arrived at the seer's tent. Coincidence. Sure.

At first he thought the tent was empty, the darkness casting so much of it into shadow. The candles were quite pathetic, they cast so little light that there was almost no point in them being there. He was about to leave but then he saw her. An elderly woman sat hunched over on an chair of some sort, a hood shrouding her face.

So, this was it then. Even as he walked towards Madame Giry, the supposed seer Benny's voice popped into his head like an annoying fly. _'They're carnies. They make stuff up that sounds cool and awesome but when you get there it's all one big rip off'._ But as much as he wanted to swat away the irritating voice it didn't leave. Ethan wanted so desperately to believe that this woman could be like him, that there was someone else who would finally understand him.

"Hello?" Ethan called uncertainly.

The woman didn't move an inch. Ethan's words faded into silence.

"Um...Is this a bad time?"

Still nothing. Was she asleep?

"I could come back lat-"

"Do you seek an audience?" Ethan started at the rasping voice. It was...older than he had expected, much more dry and gravel-like rather than bright and wise one he'd been expecting.

"Do you seek an audience?" the hooded woman said again with just a hint of irritation seeping through in her voice.

"Oh, um, yes I suppose," the boy said quickly.

"Then come."

Ethan hurried across the tent and sat down on the cushioned chair facing the "seer".

"I am Madame Giry, one of the chosen few who can part the veil which shrouds the future. Now child, what is your name?" The words she spoke sounded empty and hollow, as if she were reading from a script. The prospect of her being a real seer was slipping further and further away.

"E-Ethan. Ethan Morgan," for some reason his voice came out shakier than he had intended.

The Madame never looked up, her face still hidden. "So, Ethan Morgan, what do you seek? Is there a particular question you hold or is it simple curiosity which has drawn you here?"

"I suppose a little of both."

The woman nodded slightly as if she had been expecting this answer. "Most say this," she said nothing for a few minutes. Ethan sat awkwardly on the cushion, fiddling with the corner. Normally his eyes would have adjusted to the dimness by now but for some reason everything was still as dark as before. And that unnerved him even more.

"Give me your hand."

Ethan almost jumped out of his skin at the sudden noise. Shaking his head he held out his hand palm facing upwards.

Madame Giry leaned ever so slightly forward on her chair and surveyed Ethan's slightly trembling palm. After another few minutes of silence Ethan spoke.

"So...what do you see?"

"There are seven main lines on any hand," Madame Giry said ignoring the question, once again sounding as if these words had been said many times before, "the three longest and most predominant – the heart, head and life lines, and then the four fainter lines – the sun, head, fate and marriage lines. Do you wish for a full reading or a partial reading?"

"Oh...a full reading I suppose."

"Very well. You are aware of the fee?"

"Oh, yes," Ethan said quickly.

Madame Giry reached out an old, wizened finger and touched Ethan's palm. The boy's entire body went rigid and suddenly the dark, murky tent was replaced by blindingly white fog.

_Ethan stood in the middle of the carnival, the bright colours seeming faded and worn, the loud, overwhelming music having stopped. It was empty, apart from two young girls, one agged about eleven the other eight, walking hand in hand. They were talking and laughing yet no sound came out. Suddenly they were standing outside the haunted house, the younger girl with pig tails pointed up at the building. The older girl nodded and they walked inside. A shadowy form slipped in after them. The doors slammed shut._

Ethan's eyes snapped open. Now what the heck was that meant to mean?

Madame Giry was as silent as ever but her finger had broken contact with his hand. For some reason Ethan had the nagging feeling that the vision wasn't finished, like that was only the first part to the story. So what now, he'd found out that there was something supernatural at work here but his question still remained unanswered.

"Well well, Ethan Morgan," the woman looked up the hood falling from her head and onto her shoulders, "you are...interesting."

* * *

><p>Sarah dodged in and out of the crowd, checking every tent, corner and ride she could get too. And still no Rory. She checked her watch. Had she really been searching for an entire hour? Now really that was pushing it, even for Rory's standards.<p>

Right, that was it. Sarah made up her mind. She would go to the Haunted House and they'd stop searching. She was not about to waste an entire day on Rory. At least Benny would be pleased having had some alone time with Anna.

Anna. That brought up some problems. She would need to speak to the boys next time she got them by themselves. There was something she had to tell them about the new geek. Anna had-

Sarah's thoughts were cut off when some stranger elbowed past her. If she'd been human she would have been pushed to the floor but sometimes being undead had its advantages.

"Oi! Watch it!" she exclaimed but the blonde haired man had already disappeared back into the crowd.

"Jerk," she muttered. Then in the blink of an eye she was gone.

* * *

><p>Benny stared at Anna with wide eyes, still not having recovered from the shock of seeing what he had just witnessed.<p>

"How can you fit twenty three marshmallows in your mouth at once?"

Anna grinned. "That's twenty three and a half actually."

"Bu-but how? You beat my record! Me, the King of the Marshmallows!"

"Well, Queen takes King I suppose. Check mate?"

Benny just shook his head in amazement muttering to himself. The pair dodged their way through the never ending waves of people towards the rendezvous point, Anna sometimes having to grab onto Benny's arm to prevent them from getting separated. Despite his record being crushed this little act still managed to spread a massive grin across the boys face.

The following figure watched them from a close distance, a small smile spreading across its face. _This one was powerful indeed. _He _would be pleased._

* * *

><p>"I'm sorry sir, you're not allowed here," the security guard, who according to his name tag was called Tim, looked down at the blonde teenager, stood in front of the backdoor to the haunted house arms crossed.<p>

"But I really want to go in there!"

"Well then, go join the queue and buy yourself a nice shiny ticket and then-"

"But please! I don't have any money left! I spent it all!"

"Well then, that's just tough luck," the officer frowned at the boy. Why couldn't he just go away?

"But..."

"No buts," Tim's fists clenched. Why did kids these days have to be so damn annoying?

"But officer!"

"Look kid! Go. Away. Understand?"

The boy said nothing for a second attempting a puppy-dog look. When that failed to work he went back to whining.

"BUT PLEAAAAASEEEEEEEE!"

The security officer lost it. This little mortal was really starting to piss him off. Normally he'd never do this on the clock but this time he decided to make an exception.

His eyes flashed fluorescent green and a snarling mouth opened revealing two long, protruding fangs.

The normal reaction to this would be for the mortal to run away screaming, so Tim was quite surprised when the kid didn't move a muscle. In fact he just grinned.

"Awesome! I can do that to!" And the kid's face morphed to be identical to that of Tim's.

Then the boy was sped off into the building, Tim not quite quick enough to stop him. Tim's brow furrowed. Oh dear. He flipped out his phone and pressed a button.

"Hey, we have a code blue active in section D... The haunted house... Not hostile...It's your call... Yes?...Disposal?...Hmm...Very well."

Tim ended the call and headed for the back door. Disposal it was.

* * *

><p>"You ever been in a haunted house before?" Anna looked up at the imposing building before her. It was wooden, the paint having dried off a long time ago,the windows were cracked and a a shutter hung on its hinges. The entire house seemed to be swaying in the wind, as if it might collapse at any second, groaning poignantly every few seconds.<p>

Benny looked at Anna. "Yep. Lots of times."

"You ever got scared?"

"What? Me scared? Ptff. Never."

Anna nodded not quite convinced. "So, are we gonna go in?"

Benny gulped. "Uh...shouldn't we wait for Ethan and Sarah?"

"Come on, it'll just take a couple of minutes," Anna grinned at Benny, "Why? What's the matter?"

"Oh nothing," Benny's voice came out much higher than he'd intended. He coughed. "No, we can go in. Sure. No problem. Nothing to be scared about. Nothing at all."

Anna's grin grew. "What are we waiting for?"

Benny smiled weakly. _Come on Benny, _he scolded himself, _you're meant to be the strong, brave guy who protects the girl. Not the other way around! How are you meant to impress her like this?_

The two bought tickets and entered into the house.

The figure walked in after them, giving a little nod to the woman at the ticket booth. This was going to be fun.

* * *

><p><strong>Well, there you go. Finis. And once again I apologize for the extremely late update. Bad SACB, bad, bad. However, exams are coming up so I'll try to write but if I don't update in 3 weeks then it'll be because of that. Sorry!<strong>

**Thanks must go to Ashlyn-i who, after consistent pestering both via FF and IRL got me to sit down and write. I don't know if what I've written is any good (probably isn't) but heh, I wrote it! And I'm rambling here a bit aren't I? Well then, I shall bid you goodbye. Until we meet again!**

**~Secret Agent Codename Bob**


	9. Alone In The Dark

**AND I'M BACK! AGAIN!**

**Just a quick note about this current story arc. The last chapter was more of an introductory, tying-up loose ends and hinting of what the future holds more than anything else, whereas this chapter contains a bit more action. I wonder if you noticed all of the little clues I hid...**

** _Disclaimer: Indeed, I do not own MBAV, however much it pains me to admit it. But I do claim ownership of Anna, the carnival and all its occupants plus any other characters which pop up in the fic. Enjoy!_**

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><p><em>Dear Diary, <em>

_ First off I have some news. Yesterday lunch I tried to take that group picture I wanted. Ethan, Benny, Rory and Sarah sat at the table and I sneaked a shot of them. The funny thing is Rory and Sarah don't show up in it. Must have just missed them out, though I swear I got them as well. This is really starting to bug me. _

_ Anyway, today was just plain weird. I was late for school, courtesy of my mother, and when I got there I saw Rory and this blue-haired girl I didn't know. He called me over and introduced me to her as his girlfriend. _

Girlfriend.

_ I know this may seem a little harsh as I've only known him a couple of weeks and sure, Rory's a nice, admittedly slightly weird, guy but…still. _Rory _had a _girlfriend.

_ I don't know what I said to her but for some reason she got really annoyed at me.. Honestly, if looks could kill… The pair walked off and I didn't see Rory, or that much of the guys, for the rest of the day. I walked home alone – this is where it starts getting really weird._

_ I saw the blue-haired girl (Debbie was her name, I think) ahead of me and she keeled over, grunting in pain. I ran up to ask if she was alright when-well I'm not entirely sure. I can't remember much. I think she grabbed my arm and…t. I don't know._

_ Was there something wrong with her face? I have no idea. But I must have spaced out 'cause when I came to I was lying, face down on the pavement. I'm surprised no one noticed I was unconscious._

_Now I feel drained and sick to my stomach. That's the second time I've fainted here. Maybe it's because of the change in schools. Maybe. I'm too tired to think about it right now. Maybe in the morning._

_ On that note, I'm going to bed. I'll lock my door on both locks, just to make sure Mum doesn't walk in and wake me up. So night. _

_ Write tomorrow._

_P.S. Now if my handwriting's terrible you know why._

* * *

><p>Ethan stepped out of the tent, blinking in the sudden bright light. That had been...quite something. After letting his eyes adjust Ethan took out his phone.<p>

His reading had taken at least half an hour, most of it being spent in an uncomfortable silence. But when Madame Giry had spoken, she'd been spot on. Well, at least with his personality and social life. What she'd said about his future, who could tell?

He needed to call Sarah. Ethan waited for a few seconds before the phone stopped ringing.

"Hey, Sarah? You found Rory?...Me neither. He hasn't answered his phone...Benny not picking up either? Brilliant...I'll try Anna's mobile in a sec. Where are you?...Haunted house? Right. I'm on my way."

The boy ended the call and hurried off him the direction of the haunted house, desperately trying to sort out his muddled thoughts. It wasn't working. Madame Giry, the vision, his reading. None of it made the slightest bit of sense. Maybe he could talk to Sarah about it.

But Madame Giry's parting words were the most puzzling.

_"My boy, you must leave now. Do not stay. Trust me, Ethan Morgan. Do as I say. Leave this place and never return."_

Shrugging off the creeping feeling of dread the boy walked purposefully away setting all his thoughts on getting to the house as quickly as possible. Yes, he would leave but not without the others.

Madame Giry watched him go. She shook her head. She'd done all she could.

Ethan was at His mercy now.

* * *

><p>The floorboards creaked underneath Anna's feet as she made her way down the never-ending corridor, Benny walking beside her. This wasn't at all what she'd expected. It really wasn't that scary. Just a few old floorboards and cobwebs. Nothing much.<p>

Although she had to hand it to these guys, they'd made this place so realistic. It didn't just look old and decrepit, but the house felt old as if it had been here for centuries.

"We should have waited for the others," Benny remarked his eyes darting this way and that.

"Oh come on Benny, you aren't scared are you?" Anna asked, a teasing grin on her face.

Benny's nose wrinkled and he puffed out his chest as far as it would go. "Me. Scared? Not at all. I'm just...worried that the gang won't know where we are. My phone hasn't got any signal and-"

An ear splitting shriek echoed throughout the corridor. Benny squealed and grabbed onto Anna's arm.

"Nope, not scared at all," Anna arched an eyebrow at the brunette who had turned a light shade of pink. It was then they realised how close they were.

All Benny had to do was lean forward a couple of centimetres and his daydreams would become reality. At this realisation a surge of excitement shot through him. But instead of moving or chuckling nervously and backing away they both just stood there, rooted to the spot. How had Benny not noticed the speckles of gold which dotted her irises? Or the way her nose was slightly pointed at the end.

Benny blinked. Why wasn't he doing anything? Why wasn't _she _doing anything? _Come on Benny, stop being a wimp. Man up and do...something._

"Waaaaaaazuuuuuuuuuup?"

The pair yelped suddenly thrown out of...whatever that had been.

Benny turned round to glare at the vampire who had the worst sense of timing in the world.

"Rory!" Benny spluttered, "What are you doing here?"

Rory frowned at his question. "It's a carnival..."

"No, I mean what are you doing _here_?" Benny asked between gritted teeth. Rory had just interrupted something which might never happen again, between the two anyway.

Rory stared at Benny blankly before noticing Anna for what seemed like the first time. He heard her heart pounding in her chest and saw the colour of her cheeks just before she turned away from them. Realisation hit him like a brick. Ohhh...no wonder Benny was angry. He smiled apologetically.

"How'd you find us?" Anna asked quietly, back still turned.

"Oh, I smelt you. Er, I mean, I...saw you coming in...here."

Benny wished the ground would swallow him whole. Or Rory. Yeah, definitely Rory.

"Alright? Well-" Anna started but she stopped short when they were plunged into darkness. A high-pitched scream filled the air.

* * *

><p>The lights flicked back on. The screaming stopped.<p>

Benny blinked.

"Can you let go off me now please?"

The two boys separated, a rather awkward silence filling the corridor.

"Uh, Rory?"

"Yeah?"

"Where's Anna?"

"...Um, not here?"

* * *

><p>Sarah's eyes darted around the corridor. She couldn't shrug off a nagging feeling she was being watched. It was probably nothing. Maybe just those creepy portraits on the wall.<p>

"Still no word from out runaways?" asked Ethan.

Sarah checked her phone. "Nope. Not a word. Nothing."

Ethan sighed. "Anna's no better. It's like they all dropped off the planet. I hope Benny hasn't gotten both him and Anna into trouble. Not the best way to impress a girl."

Sarah grinned. "So it's official. The wizard nerd has a crush on the new geek. I wonder if it'll actually come to anything."

"I guess we'll have to wait and see, won't we?"

Sarah's smile faded. "Talking about Anna, are you going to tell her, you know, about everything?"

Ethan's pace slowed. "I-I don't know. We haven't really...talked about it. At all. I mean, should we? You saw how we reacted when we found out about you being all fledglingy. She might be cool with it but-"

"Ethan," Sarah stopped and locked eyes with him, "stop with all these what ifs. Tell her or don't tell her. But remember, it's really unlikely that she won't ever find out. Maybe it would be better to hear it from you rather than from some random demon, who's probably trying to kill her."

Ethan frowned before the pair continued their walk. "I suppose. But remember, it's not my choice. We have to decide as a group."

"Fine. And whilst we're on the subject of Anna, I need to tell you-" Sarah suddenly stopped as the pair rounded a corner and jerked to a halt. In front of them were two massive oak panelled doors.

"I wonder what this is," Ethan stepped forward and reached out for the bronze door handle.

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><p>Rory watched the spellmaster pace up and down the corridor, wringing his hands together.<p>

"Where is she? Is she in trouble? Do you think she's hurt? If she is..." Benny stopped for a second and looked up at Rory hopefully. "Can you track her? Find out where she is?"

"Uh, Benny, I think you should calm down. She might have just wondered off-"

"Really?" Benny asked, an eyebrow raised, his voice harsh, "only idiots 'wonder off' in a haunted house. Anna isn't stupid."

Rory threw his hands up in the air defensively. "Dude you need to chill. She might just be playing a prank. She'll be fine."

"Rory, she screamed. You don't scream unless you're in trouble."

Rory suddenly became very interested in his shoes. "Uh-yeah. It was totally Anna who screamed. Obviously."

Benny continued his pacing. "So, can you track her or not?"

Rory shrugged. "I could try. But Benny, I really don't see why you're so-"

Benny whipped round to stare at Rory. Only then, after seeing Benny's expression, did he realise how worried he really was. "Rory-Rorster, please. Can you help?"

Rory was about to answer when Benny's face suddenly lit up. "Of course! Why didn't I think of that before?"

Benny flung his backpack onto the floor and hastily unzipped it, pulling out his spell book. Rory was at his side in an instant. "Uh...dude, are you sure that's such a good idea?"

Benny ignored him, leafing through the pages so fast you could barely see his hands move. Rory continued. "I mean, when has using magic ever turned out well for us? I think you just need to chill out a bit, put the spell book back and-"

"Here it is! An 'all-seeing' spell. I can find Anna with this."

Before Rory could even say anything Benny had already begun the incantation. The vampire could only cross his fingers and hope for the best. When the latin had been spoken a flash of blinding white light erupted from Benny's hand, knocking the two boys to the ground.

Benny groaned and propped himself up on one arm. "I don't feel 'all-seeing'. Sorry about that Rory. Rory?" Benny looked across to the blonde.

"Ugh. Benny?" he sat up slowly, rubbing his eyes. "What did you do?"

"Nothing apparently. Just knocked us over."

"No-no. What did you do to _me?_ I can't see anything!" Rory's head moved up and down in an attempt to see something but to no avail.

Benny gulped, his throat suddenly feeling as dry as the Sahara. "Uh...I can fix that," once again Benny flicked through his spell book desperately, Rory voicing his objections. "Er...Somnon."

A dark purple beam shot out and hit Rory knocking him back to the ground. Benny rushed anxiously up to his friend shaking his shoulders. "Rory? You there buddy?" Rory's eyes remained closed, "Rory this isn't time for jokes. Get up already."

There was no change. Rory remained unmoving. Suddenly reality started to sink in. "No, no no, no! This is _not_ happening," Benny looked around desperately, his voice cracking. _Why'd he have to do that stupid spell?_ "Come on you stupid vampire! Wake up! I...I'll give you my Enterprise t-shirt. And I'll admit robots are better than the force. And-and..."

The boy slumped against the wall, closing his eyes. "Just don't leave me alone."

* * *

><p>Ethan pushed the double doors open, a resounding creak echoed around the large hall. At first glance it appeared empty. Then Ethan noticed his reflection looking backing at him.<p>

"The Hall of Mirrors," Ethan breathed. The room was dimly lit, distorted shadows being cast on the floor.

Sarah closed the doors behind her, the sound making Ethan jump.

"This is going to be rather depressing for me," Sarah sighed. After all, now she was a vampire she didn't even get a fading reflection. Whoop-di-doo.

"Well, the sooner we get through the sooner it'll be over."

The two entered the maze quietly. The pair felt a little like they were in a church, almost afraid of speaking. The cavern-like hall was completely silent, a drastic change from the loud corridors filed with shrieking and screaming.

The only noise was the little squeals of surprise Ethan gave off every time he bumped into a mirror. Sarah stood back and smiled as she watched Ethan bumble around desperately trying to find the correct way through. He could be so adorable sometimes.

After the tenth collision Ethan pouted. "This maze is massive – and really disorientating. I don't think my nose can take much more of a battering."

"It can't be too far now," Sarah said her eyes trailing over the mirrors where her reflection should have been. Another painful reminder of what she'd lost. What she'd given up for the boy in front of her.

She looked from Ethan to his reflection. His rather red nose sticking out like a sore thumb. A sudden stab of panic jolted through her spine.

Ethan's reflection was fading. All of them were, in every single mirror.

"Sarah?" Ethan asked, having seen Sarah's expression.

But the girl couldn't speak. Her eyes were fixated on where Ethan's full, normal, human reflections should have been. They were pulsing in and out, just like hers had when she'd been a-

A fledgling.

* * *

><p>Tim crept along the corridors, keeping to the shadows as He'd trained him, making sure his trainers made no sound on the old carpet. Once again the security guard sniffed the air, every scent in the house flooding his nostrils.<p>

Sorting through the different smells he focused on the ones wanted. The vampire boy had recently come down the corridor, accompanied by two others. They smelled human, but something was a little off. There was something else there. Maybe one was gifted with magic? He wasn't sure. He would have to be closer to know for sure.

But they didn't concern him.

Only the annoying blonde did. And Tim's orders were clear. After all, He didn't want any screw-ups. That was the reason Tim wasn't charging through the house at full speed.

He heard a voice coming from round the corner. He retreated as far into the shadows as he could before turning the corner.

In front of him was a boy with light brown hair sitting on the floor flipping through a book (was that a spell book?), cursing under his breath, with one hand, the other running through his hair. Several metres away from him lay the unconscious form of the pest he'd been sent to eliminate.

Tim's eyebrows rose. Well wasn't this interesting?

Crouching in the darkness he waited. Tim was going to sit this one out and see what happened. With any luck his problems would be taken care off for him.

* * *

><p>"Sarah? What's wrong?" Ethan followed her line of sight to the mirror. All he saw was his full reflection looking back at him. "What are you looking at?"<p>

Before Sarah could speak the light spluttered out.

Ethan instinctively reached for Sarah's arm and the darkness was suddenly replaced by cloudy white. The vision was quick, no images, and lasting just a millisecond. It was more of a feeling than anything else.

Fear.

The vision was about fear.

One by one the lights came back on.

Sarah looked around at the mirrors. To her Ethan's reflection had returned to normal.

"Ethan, you were-your reflection…"

"I just had a vision," Ethan said quickly. Sarah frowned, panic still gleaming in her eyes. "It wasn't particularly revealing but it was trying to tell me something about fear."

"Well, this_ is_ a haunted house."

Ethan shook his head. "No, there's something more. I don't know what but I don't think we can trust anything we see right now."

Sarah exhaled deeply. "So, whatever I just saw wasn't real?"

"I don't know, but I've had two visions in under an hour so there's definitely something not right going on here."

Sarah nodded. She could deal with the supernatural and scary. She was used to that. She just prayed Ethan's reflection would stay put.

"Let's get out of this maze and get the others. Who knows what kind of trouble the Nerd Brigade have got themselves into."

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><p>A heck of a lot was the answer. One had disappeared, one was unconscious and the other was going into meltdown. But Anna didn't know any of that. In fact, all she knew was that Benny and Rory had run off on their own and left her in the dark.<p>

And that's where she still was. In the dark.

The infernal lights hadn't come on for five minutes and she'd been fumbling around, trying to find some sort of fire escape or light switch. Or something. But her search had been fruitless.

She'd called out for the boys about twenty times and got nothing but a resounding echo for her efforts. Letting out a sigh of defeat she sunk to the floor resting against what she assumed was some sort of fireplace.

Someone would turn the lights on at some point. And the house hadn't looked that big from the outside, so somebody was bound to turn up. The best thing she could do was wait.

Content with her reasoning Anna's eyes gently closed.

She let her mind wander from school work to her mother to her brother to her old school. Then to her friends. Her real friends, not the ones at East Oak High who'd abandoned her when they thought she wasn't worth carrying on their 'friendship'.

Her brain cycled through them all finally coming to rest on Benny.

Then came the thoughts of the diary. And the dreams. Everything always had to come back to that, didn't it?

She still didn't know what to do about it though. Her plan had been to try and find a weak point in the diary, something that would discredit everything else, so Anna would be able to go on living her life as if nothing had happened knowing that it had been fake. But it wasn't.

And she so desperately wished it was. All Anna wanted was a normal boring life, dreams were dreams, but combining that with the freaky diary was not helping things in the slightest. It just made her feel as if she was lying to everyone. And if they found out what would they do?

Not wanting to run through the list she was all too familiar with she opened her eyes.

And screamed.

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><p>Madame Giry shuffled around her tent, tidying up books which had been left unattended. After a few minutes she lowered herself back down into her chair, suddenly feeling incredibly tired.<p>

That reading had taken a lot out of her. The boy, Ethan Morgan had one special future. And there was so much in it. Ethan was a seer, there was no doubt - and that only made it more important that he should get out while he still could.

The woman shook her head suddenly feeling very old. She didn't want to take any more readings, not after Ethan, but He wouldn't allow it.

Sighing Madame Giry leant back in the chair, closing her eyes. If that boy wasn't careful he wouldn't have a future to look forward to, not if He had anything to do with it.

Madame Giry desperately hoped that Ethan would heed her advice before He got news of him. She couldn't bear to watch another seer be captured.

But she'd done all she could. Hadn't she? It was out of her hands. It was up to fate now.

She shook her head. She had a dreadful feeling that fate was not done with her yet.

* * *

><p>Anna clamped her mouth shut.<p>

The lights had come back on and inches away from her face was the most disgusting thing she'd ever seen. Anna assumed it was a face but she wouldn't have been surprised if she was wrong.

Its four eyes, each completely black, glinted menacingly and the pale flesh was stretched over the face, in some parts it barely covered the bone. Bulging veins looked ready to burst at any second. But the worst feature was definitely its mouth. It took up almost half of its face, gigantic, gleaming teeth protruded from the gaping hole. They looked sharp enough to slice through metal…or skin.

Anna held her breath waiting for something to happen, for it to attack or growl or try to eat her.

She did not expect it to pull away from her and start laughing.

Then she recognised the voice.

"Benny!" Anna glared daggers as said boy pulled the demonic mask off to reveal his real, non-demonic face. He bent over double in hysterics.

"What the hell was that?" Anna stood up, arms crossed.

Benny just kept on laughing. "Your face!" he said gasping for air. "Priceless!"

Anna wanted to slap him so much and if it had been anyone else she would have. But not now. And not him. She couldn't, wouldn't lose another friend.

Benny's fit subsided and he stood up taking a deep breath. Anna continued to glower at him, no longer shocked, just pissed.

"That wasn't funny you know," she said quietly.

Benny shrugged as if it didn't matter. "Sorry," he didn't sound sorry at all, "but I found the mask lying on the floor and I just _had _to try it on. Saw you on the ground and, well, I couldn't resist."

Anna shook her head, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. Now she'd calmed down a bit she looked at Benny properly for the first time. He seemed…odd, different somehow.

"You find the leather jacket with that mask?" Anna asked, referring to his new piece of clothing.

Benny looked down and shrugged again. "Does it really matter? Besides, leather's cool," he looked up at Anna, one eyebrow raised, "do you like it?".

"Uh, I guess…" Anna watched curiously as Benny pulled a toothpick out of his pocket and slot it into his mouth.

"So, what do you wanna do, _sweetness_?" he asked casually, emphasising the last word as if it was the best thing he'd ever said.

_Sweetness? Really? _

"Err, where's Rory? He was with you last time I checked."

Benny huffed, he spoke as if the topic bored him. "I have no clue, toots," then a light flashed in his eyes. He sidled up to Anna forcing her to back into the wall. Before she could voice a protest Benny placed a finger on her lips, a smirk on his. "I don't know about you, but I think this is much more interesting than chasing off after a stupid creature of the night."

Anna wanted to comment on his last remark but she barely made an audible squeak. _Stupid voice-box, not working. _

Instead Anna breathed out slowly and found herself looking up into the brunette's eyes. Swirling hazel orbs stared back. Her heat skipped a beat. Why was he being like this? Had he undergone a personality switch in the last few minutes?

Benny removed his finger, instead using it to trace the lines of her jaw.

Anna forced herself to speak.

"Uh, Benny?" Was all she could manage.

"Hmm?"

"I, uh, really think we should, maybe um, find Rory…"

Benny took the toothpick out of his mouth and leaned in even closer, their faces millimetres away. Anna's heart was pounding so hard she wouldn't have been surprised if Benny could actually hear it.

"Are you sure? 'Cause I like things just how they are," Benny's smirk widened, "right now."

And suddenly there was no space separating them. Anna's eyes widened in shock. After a few seconds of resistance she sighed into the kiss which only egged the boy on. Still smirking Benny's hand slithered round her shoulders, Anna ran her hands through his hair. She didn't know how long they stood there but the moment was broken at the sound of an all too familiar voice.

"What the hell..."

The two practically jumped apart, Benny turning to look at where the sound had come from. Anna almost choked in sheer disbelief.

_Benny_ stood in the middle of the corridor, his nostrils flaring, fists clamped into balls at his side.

The Benny in the leather jacket, regained his composure, and chuckled.

"Well well well, look what the cat dragged in," he purred placing an arm round Anna's waist, tugging her closer, "today just gets better and better."

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><p><strong>And yes. I did just bring Evil Benny back. You have no idea how much fun I've had writing him. Best character I've ever written for. ;)<strong>

**Aw. Worried Benny's so adorable. Anyhow, what did you guys think? I had great fun torturing my characters. Do you have any theories? If so, I'd love to hear them! Are you totally confused yet? If so then do not worry, all shall be revealed next chapter – which will finish of the carnival arc. **

** I hope you enjoyed. Reviews are welcome!**

**P.S. Who else is totally hyped for season 2! It's almost here! Woo hoo!**


	10. Him

**I don't own MBAV...please don't sue me...yadahyadah...mindless disclaimer done!**

**I really suck at this updating-regularly thing don't I? I'll try and improve but thanks go to everyone who waits for the next chapter and reviews/alerts/favourites. It means so much to me and I only hope that I don't disappoint.**

**Now, I have no idea what you'll think of this but here goes nothing!**

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><p><em>Dear Diary,<em>

_Today is my fourth week in Whitechapel. It's so weird to think I've almost spent a month here. I'm not complaining...it's just that time has sort of flown by._

_Ethan and I have finished our project. Thank goodness! Rory and Benny have barely started theirs. Talking about Benny he held a yard sale on Saturday. A few people turned up and apparently all the money's going towards their 'go-cart' fund. I love my nerds._

_Ethan and Benny are prepping for this year book thing they're doing. They want their games avatars to be used instead of real life pictures of themselves. Rory's really excited about it. It's probably because he gets so nervy around pictures. Rory really is strange. There's a stack of homework calling my name. Write soon!_

_Love Anna xx_

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><p>Benny's mouth hung open in shock. <em>What on earth...<em>

He'd spent the last ten minutes running round this stupid haunted house to find this? Some guy making out with Anna? And her kissing him back? Anger pulsed through him, his fists clamped into balls at his sides.

Who was this guy anyway? Didn't look like anyone he knew. Probably someone from East Lake High. And he had the same hairstyle as him! That jerk. _Leather jacket? Yeah right. More like pleather. _

Then he noticed the toothpick in his hand.

_What the hell?_

Benny didn't realise he'd spoken until the two jumped apart as if they'd been struck by lightning.

_How? What? When?_ Disconnected thoughts surged through his brain. _No, it isn't Evil Benny_._ That would be impossible. Right? He'd been flushed months ago. He couldn't be back_.

But he was and he still had that smug grin on his face. _Well of course he does. Evil Benny just made out with 'your' girl and he knows it._

Benny looked at Anna. Her expression was a mix of confusion and surprise. _She can't have a clue what's going on. I suppose I don't either. _But then a different emotion flickered across her face. _Disappointment_. It was gone in a second but there was no doubt about it. She was disappointed that they'd been interrupted. She'd actually enjoyed kissing him.

_Right, he's dead._

Evil Benny said something but Benny didn't hear it. His ears were ringing, his gaze fixated on the arm which was now hooked around Anna's waist. How he wished he could burn it off.

"What? How is this even possible? Two Benny's!" Anna's eyes darted from Benny to his double.

"What are you doing here, Evil Benny?" Benny asked through gritted teeth.

"Evil Benny? What do you mean 'evil'?" Anna couldn't stop looking at the two of them, no doubt trying to find a reasonable explanation for the duplicate.

Evil Benny turned to grin at Anna, blatantly ignoring Benny's presence. "Long story short sweetness: King of the Nerds here messed up some magic a couple of months ago and, bang, a new, better looking, overall more awesome Benny appears. Me." But of course that was only half of the story. He'd survived two days before being flushed down the toilet and now he was back. Somehow.

Anna frowned. "Magic? What are you talking about?" Benny's eyes widened. Evil Benny wasn't meant to be the one to tell her about that. He shouldn't even be there!

Evil Benny looked curiously at Benny, obviously surprised that Anna didn't already know their 'little secret'. Benny desperately tried to think of a spell that would shut him up before he got a chance to reveal it but he drew a blank. Plus that would just be proof to Anna that magic did exist.

"So he hasn't told you yet? Wow, shows how much he trusts you. Tut tut Benny, keeping secrets from your 'friend'." Evil Benny tugged Anna closer to him.

"Get off," Anna shoved him away. The boy stumbled back a few steps whilst Anna hurried towards the empty corridor.

"Look, I don't get anything that's going on right now but, Benny." She glanced warily from boy to boy. "B_oth of you_ are just creeping me out right now. I-"

Anna inhaled sharply and she turned 180 degrees. "Did you hear that?" Anna asked quietly as she peered down the gloomy corridor.

Both Benny's glanced at each other. "Uh, hear what?"

"Ssh!" She paused. "Little Eva..." She stood as if waiting for something but a few seconds later she shook her head. "This place is messing with my mind. I'm just going to leave. I'll see you outside and then we'll talk." And with that she disappeared down the corridor.

"See you round sweetness," Evil Benny called out to her. No reply came. He flashed a smile at Benny. "You know, she's a good kisser that one. Shame she's going insane. Maybe you two were made for each other."

Benny glared at his evil duplicate. "Why are you here and not floating in the middle of the ocean, where you're supposed to be?"

Evil Benny put another toothpick in his mouth. "Doing what I do best and we both know what that is. But honestly, if I can get my hands on that camera Anna would be the first one I'd copy, as long as she hasn't gone completely round the bend by that stage."

Benny was about to defend Anna's sanity when he realised something. "Wait, you don't have the camera? And I thought we destroyed the negative photo."

"So did I. But I'm not exactly complaining." He took out his toothpick and dropped it on the floor. "Well, as fun as it would be to stick around and mess with your life some more I really need to get going. But I'll be seeing you soon...and Anna. Catch you later!"

Evil Benny grinned one last time walked through a door which had suddenly appeared. Benny ran after him but the door vanished just as quickly. After staring at the wall for a few seconds Benny ran down the corridor in search of Anna. Evil Benny would have to wait.

A figure stepped from the shadows and silently followed the boy. His master had only to give the word and it was lights out for the spellmaster.

* * *

><p>Tim waited a few minutes before walking slowly out of the darkness and towards the unconscious vampire. The boy with the strange hair had run off leaving Rory defencless. Some friend he was.<p>

Taking out a wooden stake Tim bent down. The annoying creature looked so innocent, so vulnerable. By his side was a note the other boy had left for him. Too bad he'd never get to read it.

He had his orders.

He raised the stake.

* * *

><p>"Anna! Wait up!"<p>

Said girl turned round slowly sceptically watching the boy as he jogged up to her. "Where's Mr Leather-Jacket? Popped out for some fresh air?" Anna huffed.

"What? Oh you mean him..." Benny slowed to a halt scratching the back of his head nervously. "I can explain that."

"Oh, this should be good." Anna folded her arms.

"Well, uh, you see, my long lost twin brother who I'd never met before turned up a couple of weeks ago-"

Anna sighed and carried on walking. Benny ran after her again. "Anna, hold up a sec. I know it sounds crazy but seriously, his name's, er, Kyle and he's homeschooled."

Anna spun round and pushed Benny against the wall, her temper getting the better of her. "Look, I'm sick and tired off all these stupid lies about magic and twin brothers. Benny Weir, man up and tell me who the hell the guy that just kissed me was because it obviously wasn't you."

Benny's eyes widened at Anna's sudden ferocity. The situation reminded him vaguely of when he'd annoyed the captain of the Girl's Wrestling Team. Except this time the girl pining him to a wall was a lot less hairy.

"Okay, okay. You want the truth, fine! Just let go off me first." After a moment's hesitation Anna stepped back letting go off Benny's shirt. He smoothed out the crinkles and looked up at her. "Thank you. Right, this may sound really weird but..." _Now or never dude._ "I'm a spellmaster."

Anna frowned at him. "What's that supposed to mean? Is it code for something?"

"What, no! It's what it sounds like. The magic thing wasn't a lie. I'm like a wizard, a pretty epic one by the way, and Ethan's a seer - he gets visions - Sarah and Rory are vampires and-"

"Hang on one second! You expect me to believe that you're all some sort of supernatural freaks?" Benny flinched at the word 'freak' but he had gone too far to turn back now. He had to explain everything.

"No, not freaks. More like awesome superheroes."

Anna shook her head. "They don't exist."

"Think about it." Benny stepped forward desperate for her to understand. "The beard, Rory's being so fast, two of me. It all adds up! The guy back there was my evil double who I accidently created with the help of a magic camera."

Anna stared at the floor her head spinning. "Do vampires show up on camera?" she asked quietly.

"Um, no. Why do you ask?"

Anna didn't answer. Benny's 'evil double' had just strolled in causally and decided to make out with her then? Is that what had happened? But as much as she didn't wanted to believe it everything did suddenly make sense. Well apart from the diary and the dreams.

Or did they? So what if Benny was a 'spellmaster'? He could do spells then? So had he done a spell on her to give her different memories? Or change them somehow? Were the past four months meant to have gone differently? And the diary?

Anna's hand reached out for the wall suddenly feeling queasy.

"I know this is hard to take in at once but- Anna, are you okay?"

Nothing made sense. It couldn't do. It was all impossible. The single shred of hope that her life could be boring and ordinary was being ripped away from her. _And it's all Benny Weir's fault._

Everything suddenly stopped spinning. She didn't know where the thought had come from but it was there now and nothing would be able to get it to go away. If the last four months had been a lie then maybe her whole life shouldn't have been like this. Maybe she'd had normal parents. Maybe she'd gone to a normal school.

But then magic came along and screwed it all up. Maybe Benny had destroyed her life. _Maybe, just maybe, it_ _was his fault_.

"Anna?" Benny said cautiously, holding her steady.

"It's your fault," Anna murmured. She'd wanted someone to blame for her screwed up life and now there he was standing in front of her. She could practically feel the anger and frustration of all those years churning inside of her.

"What?"

"It's your fault," her head whipped up and Anna shoved Benny onto the floor. "It's all your fault, isn't it? Everything! What did you do to me? Why did you ruin my life?"

Benny stared up incredulously at the girl he barely recognised. She looked like she could kill someone. And that person could very well be him. "What are you talking about?"

"You shouldn't even exist! You shouldn't be real!" Anna stumbled away, breathing heavily. "I hate this. Stupid dreams. Stupid diary. Stupid life."

Benny was so shocked he couldn't even move, he just watched Anna stumble away. He knew she might not react well but seriously! What had he said that made her so angry? But it wasn't just anger. She'd looked _desperate_.

But whatever the reason Anna now hated him. And he wasn't sure he could ever change that.

* * *

><p>"RORY!"<p>

Tim looked up just in time to see a skinny teenage boy and a very angry girl vamp, fangs out, charging towards him.

_Oh shit. The blond had friends. _He hadn't thought it possible. Tim cast a quick glance behind him down the empty hall. He could run if he wanted. But no, he had his orders and besides what was one girl going do to him?

Tim was up in an instant, the stake ready in his hand but the girl got to him before he could use it. She growled then punched him straight in the jaw. _The girl had guts alright._

Staggering back Tim tried to regain his footing but she was too quick. She kicked the stake out of his hand sending it spiralling through the air. Tim snarled and he dodged behind her. Before she could react he shoved her with all his force sending her flying into the floor next to 'Rory'.

She groaned and turned to look up at him. Tim brandished his fangs.

"Girlie, you really don't want to fight me."

Said 'girlie' glared at him. "Yeah, well you shouldn't have messed with Rory." The girl's leg flew out and Tim's feet were swept from under him. He fell face down on the carpet but before he could do anything she had his arm twisted behind his back.

"And don't call me girlie."

The teenage boy finally arrived, panting. Humans were so slow. "Well done, Sarah," he said bending over to check on Rory. "No pulse, not breathing. He should be fine. Just unconscious."

Sarah let out a sigh of relief. "Good. What I want to know now is why this security guard was trying to _kill Rory_?" When Tim failed to answer 'Sarah' twisted Tim's arm a little more. Tim hissed in pain and anger. "I'll ask again _officer_: why were you about to stake him?"

Tim snarled. "He was _distracting_."

Sarah rolled her eyes. "So that's what Count Dorkula was doing whilst we were running round like headless chickens. We should have known. But however annoying he was doesn't mean you had to kill him. If that's not an overreaction I don't know what is."

Tim struggled but Sarah held him down. _She was strong_. "I had my orders."

The skinny boy frowned and stepped closer. Tim got a whiff of his scent and could already feel his mouth watering. _The kid's a walking blood bank. How can the girl stand to be around him? Maybe he's her personal blood supply? But then why wasn't he chained? And why was he helping her?_

"What orders? From whom?" the boy asked.

Tim grinned despite half his face was being crushed into a rather dusty carpet. "Someone with enough power to kill you with just one look. He is my master, I am His servant."

"Stop with the creepy talk," Sarah snapped, "there's something supernatural about this place and we want to know what it is."

"Uh, Sarah." He picked up a piece of paper lying next to Rory. "It's a message...from Benny. It says:

_'Sorry but I've got to find Anna. If you wake up then find the others and get out. _

_~Benny'_

Ethan frowned, trying to visualise what had happened barely minutes before. "So Benny was with Anna, they came in here and then what? They met up with Rory? And somehow he becomes unconscious? Was there a fight?" The girl turned her attention back to Tim. "Give us some answers."

"I will not tell you anything. I am His faithful servant. I-" He was cut off Sarah.

"Ethan, get me the stake." Tim one available eye darted to the boy who had retrieved said object. Panic built inside him.

"You wouldn't."

Sarah took the stake from Ethan. "Well, if you're not going to talk then there's no point keeping you alive, is there? Obviously your master is worth much more than your life."

If Tim had a live heart it would have been racing. "You don't understand. He sees everything. He knows everything."

Sarah tested the stake in her hand. Every muscle in his body tensed. "One...Two...Thr-"

"Fine! I'll talk. But first give the stake to the boy."

"Good choice." Sarah handed Ethan the stake and once he was out of immediate danger Tim visibly relaxed. "Alright, who is your master?"

Tim begrudgingly spoke, his eye never leaving the boy, but he kept his voice low as if someone might hear. "I don't know His name."

"Fine, _what_ is he?"

"He's an empath demon."

Ethan stared quizzically at the male vampire. "A what?"

"An empath demon, a parasite like us." He said obviously referring to Sarah and him. "Except instead of blood they feed on emotions. There are lots of empath demons in the world but only the really powerful ones get noticed by anyone."

"So your master guy feeds on emotions?"

"Well, technically one emotion. I think you can guess which one."

Understanding dawned on Ethan. "Fear."

Tim would have nodded if he hadn't been squashed against the carpet. "He owns this place, the entire carnival. People come into the haunted house, He reads their fears and they literally come alive." Tim tried desperately to get up but his attempts were fruitless. "I've answered your questions so let me go already!"

Sarah spoke to the boy. "That explains your disappearing reflection...and your vision."

Tim suddenly stopped struggling. "Vision?"

"Yeah, I'm a seer. I get visions."

_The kid's a seer. _Tim made this half chuckling, choking noise. "_You're _a seer. Wow. You are in for one big shock."

Tim listened in glee as the kid asked him questions. _He didn't get it yet. He would soon._

Sarah was stopped mid-threat by a loud screeching noise which cut through the air like a knife. Both their hands flew to their ears and in that second Tim heaved Sarah off him. The sudden movement caught her off guard but before she could do anything about it Tim had disappeared down the corridor.

Finally the ear-shattering sound stopped and the pair winced in pain.

"What the-" Sarah never finished her sentence because the entire hallway started the fade away. The old, worn-away carpet, the portraits, everything – it all started to disappear. Immediately Sarah was by Ethan's side, holding his hand to ensure he didn't disappear as well. However Ethan barely registered it.

After a few seconds everything had vanished entirely leaving a huge, dark empty room. A small blinking light was suspended above them.

"Hello?" Ethan called out; half-hoping there was nobody there to answer.

"Welcome Ethan Morgan." A tall man stepped out of the shadows, a large, teeth-filled smile warping his face. He was dressed in a black evening suit, a dark red bow tie the only splash of colour on him – at least on his clothes. His skin was a deep purple, almost completely black. He didn't appear to have scales, or a tail for that matter but two tiny horns poked out from underneath a black mass of finely combed hair.

"It is so nice to finally meet you seer." The smile grew even wider. And out of his mouth darted a forked tongue. "I do hope you like it here because you are going to be staying a rather long time."

* * *

><p>Anna stumbled through the never-ending corridors, blinking in the darkness. With every step she took she was sure that it was getting darker. What was it with this place and the lights? Were they prone to power cuts or something?<p>

The conversation with Benny repeated itself over and over in her mind. _It doesn't make any sense. But it does. _She half wondered if Benny was following her but if so he hadn't confronted her again. _Smart boy._

Exhaustion washed over her. A weary sigh escaped and Anna carried on walking turning all her thoughts on getting out of the carnival. She could deal with else everything later when she could think clearly.

"Come on Eva! Hurry up!"

Anna stopped, her heart thudding in her chest. There was that voice again. A child's voice.

"I'm coming." This one was different, slightly higher in pitch.

"You are taking too long Little Eva. We will not see the rest of the carnival if you carry on like this!"

Anna frantically searched for the owner of the voice but she couldn't find one. _It's just some trick the house is playing on you Anna. Just trying to scare you._ But is sounded so real.

Then the voices became more distant. Letting her curiosity get the better of her Anna followed the girl's voice. She had too run to keep up with them.

Anna turned a corner and she skidded to a halt. The voices had stopped.

A small white door greeted her. Frowning she turned the doorknob and stepped inside. Immediately her arm shot up to cover her eyes. After a few seconds she lowered it and peered into the unexpected bright light.

She was stood in a white room; it was empty apart from a large glass cylinder standing upright in the centre. The smell of disinfectant hung in the air and it was completely silent except for a faint buzzing. No children's voices. Maybe she was going insane.

Anna closed the door behind her and stepped further in. There didn't appear to be another door leading out. _From creepy Victorian house to science laboratory. Interesting choice._

She stepped hesitantly up to the glass cylinder. The buzzing noise got louder. On the floor in surrounding it were symbols of some sort drawn in what looked like charcoal. Anna bent down to inspect them. She didn't recognise them from anywhere. _Strange_.

The glass was cloudy obscuring the inside. _I really should leave. Retrace my steps and try to find a fire escape or something._ But something inside tugged at her to stay, to investigate the mysterious cylinder.

Curiously Anna reached out to touch the cylinder. _What was the worst that could happen?_

* * *

><p>Tim had retreated outside and was now stood at his old post. That stupid vampire girl had beaten him in a few seconds. That shouldn't have been possible. He made a mental note to train more frequently in the future. But by hell he would beat her next time if there ever was a next time. He would make sure-<p>

"Timothy Peters?"

The security guard was jerked out of his thoughts of vengeance. He looked up to see the sight he'd been dreaded since he first joined the carnival fifty years ago. _Those eyes._

"I believe you know why I'm here."

Tim backed away but found himself pressed against the wall. "He sent you, didn't He?"

The other nodded.

"Our glorious master believes you betrayed him, revealed his identity to strangers. Not only that but you failed to end the existence of another of your kind, who was a potential danger to the very delicate operation He is running."

Tim inwardly cringed. He shouldn't have done it, shouldn't have talked. But that stupid girl...

"Did you or did you not do these things?" The flat, empty voice asked.

Tim gulped. "I...I didn't. You've got it all wrong..."

The creature smiled. A pair of blank, white orbs stared out where eyes should have been. "Liar."

It plunged the stake deep into his chest and the vampire let out a cry of pain and horror as his body crumbled into dust. The creature's head rolled back and he inhaled deeply. He blinked and brushed the dust off his shoes.

It picked up the name tag reading 'Tim' and put the tag away in its pocket. The creature took a few steps back and surveyed the scene. The wind would blow any evidence far away so it needn't worry about that. And no one had witnessed the act by the look of things.

It nodded to itself and walked away, becoming one with the crowd. The creature let a small smile creep into its features. How it loved its job.

* * *

><p><strong>Okay...I didn't actually finish the carnival arc. But I promise it will finish up next chapter which should be (hopefully) a bit shorter and everything shall be explained. :-D Hope you enjoyed.<strong>

**I'm off for a couple of weeks for a holiday but I should be able to update at some point. Reviews are welcome! Ooh: This is my tenth chapter! Yay!**

**~Secret Agent Codename Bob**


	11. The Contract

**Hello! Anybody remember me? No, that's fine. I've been hiding under a rock for the past how many months, so as a Christmas present from me to you I got off my butt and wrote you a chapter! Hoorah! **

** So...please read and enjoy! Oh and hope you've had a Merry Christmas! :D**

* * *

><p><em>Dear Diary,<em>

_I swear everyone's gone crazy. There's this girl called Hannah, who I always thought was really nice and sweet. Guess I was wrong. At lunch she called me fat and tipped Benny's food down him! And I bump into her afterwards and she acts like it hadn't even happened._

_ For some reason Ethan thinks Hannah likes him. How on earth did he get that idea? He's been asking for dating advice and everything. Guys – the world's biggest mystery._

_ But what really creeps me out is Benny. He was totally normal (as normal as a geek can be anyway) all through school up till then end but when I met him on my way home BAM! Completely different person. _

_He had these toothpicks and was full out flirting. Not the funny, dorky, adorable Benny flirting which just makes me want to laugh but this jerk like, I'm-awesome-so-you-should-date-me, super uncomfortable flirting. _

_ Then he tried to kiss me! WHAT?! That was just tooooo much for me. I shoved him off, stamped on his foot and ran off. I think he shouted something about 'having to use the camera on me' whatever that means. _

_ When did Benny become so...ugh? Maybe it's all some demented kind of joke. I don't even want to know. I hope he's not like this tomorrow 'cause if he is then I guess our friendship is zilch. I don't want to lose him though. I mean, I was really starting to like him._

_ Right, that's enough angst for one evening. Time for bed, I think._

_ Night. Anna xxx_

* * *

><p>"What do you mean?" Sarah instinctively ran her eyes over the walls of the room searching for an exit, but darkness prevented her from seeing further than a few metres.<p>

The demon smiled, forked tongue disappearing back inside his mouth. "You must be Sarah, the reluctant vampire," he said, looking at the girl as if for the first time, "I do have to say your compassion for the human is admirable for a demon. It serves only sweetens the meal and yours, my dear, was truly delicious."

Sarah visibly bristled. Just the idea that he had exploited and...fed from her fears sent shivers down her spine. "Again, what do you want from Ethan?" she said through gritted teeth.

The demon sighed. "Down to business already? A pity." He straightened and turned his attention back to Ethan as if Sarah no longer held his interest. "I want nothing from Ethan specifically. As a person he holds no value to me. Why, he's just a nobody to the world outside. I wouldn't be surprised if everyone he holds dear just ups and leaves him one day."

The demon watched the boy carefully, looking for a reaction. Ethan blinked and ignored what the other had said. He couldn't afford the demon the satisfaction of feeding from him more than he already had. Disappointed but in no way 'giving up' the demon continued.

"As I said before I care not for Ethan himself, however he is a seer. That is all I am interested in."

Ethan frowned. "Why? I get visions, that's all."

He could have sworn the demon rolled eyes but he couldn't be sure. The blinking light from above was doing next to nothing for his sight. "Seers are incredibly rare. Have you ever met one before today?"

Begrudgingly Ethan shook his head. It was true. But he hadn't known about his powers for that long and it wasn't as if he'd been searching for others like him.

"Precisely. I have lived for many aeons, Ethan Morgan, and I have only ever encountered three seers, present company excluded. The first two eluded me but the last, she is well and truly mine."

Sudden understanding hit Ethan like a brick. "Madame Giry," he breathed. The demon nodded, his forked tongue darting out again.

"That fortune teller you told me about on Friday? She's the real deal?" Sarah looked to Ethan for confirmation. "Yeah, she's a seer. I wasn't sure but..." Ethan's eyes narrowed on the demon. "What do you mean, she's 'yours'?"

The demon's eyes glinted in the darkness. "In my world Ethan, a world which humans have failed to see for millennia, to be successful you must gain respect from your competition. And respect is earned by collecting those with power."

He looked gleefully at the pair's baffled expressions. "You don't see? This carnival is more than just my personal food supply, it's my business. If anyone, any supernatural creature enters they will not leave for a very long time. I persuade them to stay by whatever means necessary. They sign a contract, I employ them in whatever I feel would best suit their attributes. For instance vampires are best put to use as security, and with every creature I collect I gain more respect, a greater reputation, and therefore, more power."

Sarah and Ethan stood in silence letting the words, and the deadly significance they held for them, soak in. However the demon continued on cheerily obviously enjoying their discomfort.

"Tim however, that useless vampire you met earlier, he breached our contract. He revealed strictly prohibited information." He tutted. "That's the problem with a vampire's survival instinct. Much stronger than a human's. Makes the creatures so hard to depend upon." He spoke seemingly to himself. "Perhaps he thought he could negotiate with me? Come to an agreement? Or that he could run away. Such a waste, but he's easily replaceable."

"You...you killed him?" Sarah stammered. She couldn't quite believe the vampire was dead. The demon shrugged.

"Our contract was nullified. If he valued his life he should have held his tongue." Sarah couldn't help but feel a little guilty. He was dead because of her, and he'd only been following orders.

"So Ethan Morgan, you understand that you will not be walking out of this carnival, yes?"

Ethan's grip tightened on Sarah's hand. She snarled at the demon, fangs out. "You're not getting him, or me either."

"I'm sorry but that isn't negotiable."

Sarah ran at him, eyes flashing in anger. But only two inches from the empath demon she jerked to a halt, frozen in mid charge. Ethan stared at her. Sarah remained unmoving. The demon shook his head and side-stepped around the girl. "Vampires. So temperamental. Oh, she's not hurt. Merely frozen." He added after noting Ethan's worried expression.

Without Sarah the seer felt infinitely more vulnerable. What was he meant to do now? "So, Ethan Morgan, are you ready to sign?"

Ethan backed away, desperately trying to come up with some way to stall. "Uh...So, Madame Giry's a seer as well?" It wasn't brilliant but it was the best he could come up with.

The demon's smile grew a little and he stopped advancing. Ethan exhaled with relief. "Ah, one of my greatest triumphs. Madame Giry, she came here, say a century ago, with her little sister back when we were travelling through England. They eventually came to my house." The demon stared into space as if the events he was describing were happening before his eyes. Luckily he seemed more than happy to retell his 'greatest triumph' and was obviously in no rush to get the contract signed.

"She ran blissfully through these halls, her little sister trailing behind. But one of my associates was following them. He brought them to me, fear practically oozing out of them." The demon sighed contentedly.

"And?" Ethan asked, eyes darting around the room trying to find a way out but failing.

The demon's gaze landed sharply on the boy. "Everyone has a weakness seer, you just have to find it. And Madame Giry's was no doubt her sister. She would not stop crying, little brat." He sniffed disdainfully. "The seer in question was fourteen at the time and had only just discovered her powers – incredible as they were. Able to see a persons entire future at just one touch! Imagine it. Bless, she was so confused. I gave her a choice. She could walk free but her sister would die. But even if she worked for me for the allotted one thousand years her sister would stay, locked away, immune to time. When Madame Giry completes her time she and her sister walk free."

Ethan turned to stare at the demon wide eyed. That was just sick. "Well of course she chose her sister! That's what I would have d-"

The seer stopped short when he realised what he'd just said. His voice was quiet, desperate, defeated. "You're going to do the same, aren't you? Me, or Sarah."

The demon shook his head his smile growing wider still. "Oh not just her, seer, all your friends. The spellmaster constantly afraid of losing everything and everyone, afraid that he isn't good enough, the blond vampire who is currently living through some of the worst nightmares he'll ever experience and Anna, the new girl who acts very bravely but deep down is so very broken."

Ethan couldn't feel his legs. "You'll kill them all if I don't agree?"

"Naturally. But of course when you do sign, and we both know you will, one will stay as a guarantee of your cooperation – just like Madame Giry. You can chose which one."

Ethan was finding it hard to breathe. His heart was trying to claw its way up his throat and that was really hurting his ability to think properly. He didn't know how to get out of this one. He couldn't live out a thousand years here. He just couldn't.

But what choice did he have?

Then a thought occurred to him.

"And how exactly will you keep me alive for one thousand years?"

"I have numerous serums and potions to prolong your meaningless life." The demon produced something from the inside of his jacket. "Now seer, we have wasted far too much time. Are you ready?"

Ethan looked up. He was holding a pen and a long roll of paper.

Ethan closed his eyes already afraid of the answer to his question.

"Where's the ink?"

A small chuckle lingered in the air. Something cold pressed against his wrist.

"Why, Ethan Morgan, it's inside your veins."

* * *

><p>Everything was cold.<p>

Anna opened her eyes and waited for a hazy fog to subside. Where was she?

All she knew was that it was cold.

She tried to move her arms but they felt heavy. Why was that? She tried her legs but again they wouldn't move.

A slight change sent goosebumps up her arm, as if a door had been opened letting in a chilling gust of wind.

And suddenly the fog lifted. Anna half expected the searing bright light to return but it didn't. The only source of illumination was coming from behind her, casting flickering shadows on the wall opposite.

Suddenly Anna was standing. She had been lying down before?

But at least now she could see where she was. Anna stood in a small, wooden-panelled room, completely bare besides from a lit fireplace but the flames provided no warmth. Everything was just cold.

Anna frowned. How had she gotten there?

"Hurry up!"

Anna would have jumped at the sudden noise but her body wasn't reacting like it should. The voices were back...

...But this time with their owners.

Two girls, one about fourteen the other eight, ran past Anna as if they hadn't seen her. The older ran ahead, short hair bobbing with every stride, leaving the younger hurrying behind. "Father is waiting for us! Hurry!" The older girl giggled and passed through an open door.

Their pale cream dresses were adorned with frills and in their hair yellow ribbons trailed out behind them as they ran. The younger clung to a straw hat, her pink cheeks huffing as she hurried down the hallway.

"I am coming!" called the girl as she turned a corner.

Without realising it Anna followed them. Everything felt like extra work, like she was walking through water. As the voices wandered further away, Anna increased her pace.

Why was it so cold?

The air was shattered by a scream and Anna instinctively started to run. Her feet fell silently on the wooden floorboards.

She rounded a corner and on the floor lay the straw hat. Another scream.

Anna lifted her eyes and watched as the two struggling girls were lifted off the ground by a tall man. Something was wrong with his eyes. They kicked and screamed but he wouldn't let go.

"Stop!" Anna slurred but they were already gone. Suddenly dizzy Anna reached for the wall but found the hard floor instead. Her world was pulsing in and out, colours blurring together. Groaning she rolled her head to the side in what felt like slow motion.

"So, Miss Giry, you have a choice," a harsh voice rang out.

Someone was whimpering. Anna tried to clear her sight but everything was still one big blur.

"I...I..." Someone, one of the girls, stammered.

"You are trying my patience, Miss Giry. Your servitude or your sister's life ends now."

The harsh voice didn't like the silence that followed. "If you do not reach a decision soon I will decide for you."

Still there was nothing. Suddenly a crunching sound was heard and the sound of the snapping of bones echoed throughout the room. Then more screaming.

"No! Stop it! Stop it!" The voice was in tears. "Do not kill her, please, I beg you. Please."

"Very well. If that is your choice, seer. You shall stay here and work for me for one thousand years. Your sister shall remain, protected from the effects of time, and, once the time has elapsed, you will both walk free. Now, are you ready to sign?"

The voice hesitated."You promise?"

"I give you my word."

There was silence where only heavy breathing could be heard. Even the whimpering had stopped. "I shall sign."

"Very good, Miss Giry. Take the girl away."

There was another scream and suddenly all the sounds mixed together. Pain exploded in Anna's head and she opened her mouth but no sound came out, longing to place her hands over her ears. But she couldn't move, couldn't see. There was just pain and darkness and noise and cold.

And then it all stopped. Apart from the cold.

Everything was cold.

* * *

><p>"Stop."<p>

Both heads whipped round to stare at the unexpected voice. The speaker had somehow managed to find a way into the room and stood with a hood shadowing their features. The demon let out a guttural snarl. The figure flinched.

"Madame Giry, I am working, and if memory serves you should be too." The demon's voice was layered in venom and disgust.

The hood came down and Madame Giry spared Ethan a reproachful look before turning her full attention to her "employer".

"You don't want the boy. Let him and his friends go."

Her master licked his lips, narrowing his eyes. "Last I remember you do not give orders. And of course I want the seer, I refuse to let another slip through my grasp."

Madame Giry boldly met his gaze and inhaled slowly, steeling herself. "I have read Ethan. I know his life, his future. And if Ethan and his friends do not leave here alive then in the long run you will ultimately lose out."

The demon frowned, glancing between both seers, obviously eager to sign away Ethan's life as soon as possible.

Sensing the indecision Madame Giry spoke again. "You know it is physically impossible for me to lie to you, after I signed the contract. If you let them go I promise you one of the greatest feasts of your life."

"Well, you cannot lie..." The pen and parchment disappeared into thin air. "Very well. Speak quickly."

Madame Giry spoke again but to Ethan's surprise he couldn't hear a word she said. He touched his ears with his hands but everything felt normal. The demon cast a sly smile his way and suddenly Ethan understood. He wasn't meant to hear.

He tried his best to lip read but could only pick up a few words and phrases here and there. Something like 'new', 'fear', keeper', 'prophecy' and 'war' but apart from that everything flew past him too quickly to decipher.

The sudden sound of the demon's demented laugh jolted the boy back to the present. He was slightly relieved that his loss of hearing wasn't permanent.

"Well then, I believe you completely. It sounds truly terrifying and I look forward to it." He eyed Ethan hungrily. "It appears Ethan that it would serve me better if you were to remain free a while longer. But I will return in time for the feast and once it's over I'll be back for you. And don't even try to run. I will find you."

The tension was broken by the demon chuckling to himself, all the seriousness drained from his face. "Well, tatty-bye seer. Show him and his friends out will you, Madame Giry?"

And with that he was gone. Vanished, as if he'd never been there. Ethan let out a breath he didn't know he'd been holding.

"Did the last ten minutes just happen?"

Madame Giry sighed. "Why couldn't you just leave when I told you?"

"I couldn't leave without- Sarah!" Said girl had collapsed onto the ground. Ethan rushed up to her but the woman held him back. "Do not worry, she will wake in a few minutes. By then I must be gone.I have customers waiting." For some reason Ethan didn't believe she had to leave because of customers. The grip on Ethan's arm tightened.

"But before I take my leave you must know...well, I have seen your entire life and it is a dangerous one. But these upcoming months will be some of the hardest you will ever face."

Ethan's eyes widened. "What do you mean?"

"Someone will come, someone powerful. They will destroy everything you have striven to protect. Be on your guard Ethan, always. My prayers are with you and all of Whitechapel."

"But what can I do?"

Before Madame Giry had even opened her mouth the thundering voice of the demon filled the room, commanding her to say no more. The elderly woman stood up. "Get out of this carnival, out of this hell. I will take care of your friends. The route out should be clear to you." She took a step forward and leant close to his ear. "Take good care of her."

Sarah groaned. Ethan looked down at the vampire and up but the seer had vanished.

* * *

><p>Benny looked up at the large flashing sign which read 'YOU HAVE SURVIVED' in fluorescent green. "Yeah, barely," he muttered under his breath before stepping outside. The clouds from earlier had settled over them, threatening to burst at any second and soak the town of Whitechapel.<p>

An attendant in a terrible skeleton costume handed him a glossy photograph, 'free of charge'. It said **Horrifying Memories**in purple and underneath the text was a photograph of Evil Benny kissing Anna, eyes glinting smugly at the camera. Quickly he ripped the picture in two and threw it in the bin. That was one moment he did _not_ want to remember.

Most of the carnival visitors had gone, probably due to the ominous thunder rumbling in the distance. No sign of his evil duplicate. But he'd probably show up again, to gloat or something.

Benny checked his watch. Wow. The time had gone quickly. He'd probably have been wondering around in that building a lot longer too if that old woman hadn't shown him the way out.

"So...do I wait for Anna or what?" Benny frowned at his phone. Still no signal.

"Benny!"

"Gahh!" Benny jumped in surprise. "Ethan! Buddy, we were just in a haunted house. Do _not_ creep up on people."

Ethan looked at the spellmaster in sympathy. "Sorry Benny."

"Evil Benny's back. He just showed up and started acting all superior and-"

"I know."

Benny stopped mid sentence. "What do you mean 'you know'?"

Ethan shook his head. "Well I didn't know it would be Evil Benny you saw but...Look, it's a long story. I'll tell you the long version later. There was this demon jerk who was making everyone's fears come alive and basically none of what you saw was real."

Benny's eyes widened. "So, Evil Benny isn't back?"

"Nope." Benny visibly relaxed. His demon counter-part was just a big bundle of anxiety. But even when he wasn't actually there he'd managed to ruin everything! Fantastic. Benny would have to be having words with this demon. Or he would have if he hadn't been so scared of him. "Sarah's got Rory in the car. Apparently he's been having nightmares the entire time. When he woke up all he said was 'Woah. I just missed something massive didn't I?'... Hey, there's Anna."

Benny winced and turned around slowly. Anna stood in the exit, holding what Benny assumed was her special memory picture, and met eyes with Benny. The spellmaster was slightly surprised. All the hate and aggression had gone leaving a sort of dazed, vacant look instead.

"Anna! You alright?" Ethan waved her over.

"Umm, I think so." Her voice trailed off. Anna's arms were drawn across her chest in an almost defensive gesture. "Well apart from the fact I don't remember _anything of what just happened_."

The boys exchanged a quick look. "What do you-"

Anna snapped at Benny. "I mean, that it's just a blank. I walked into the haunted house, was with Benny and Rory when everything went dark. Next thing I know I'm in a white room with a weird open cylinder alone."

Benn couldn't quite decide if he was over the moon (she didn't know about their powers!) or if he was absolutely terrified about how Anna would react to the weird memory loss. However, he couldn't thank whatever had caused it enough.

"Oh...alright. That's a little worrying," Ethan mumbled not quite sure what to say. Anna noded and stared at the ground. "What exactly did happen in there?"

"There was a power cut. The lights went out and Rory and I lost you. We've been looking for you the whole time and...we, uh, we thought you might have made it outside." Benny scoured his brain for a plausible cover-up story. No way in hell would he tell her what had actually happened. He'd already made that mistake once and wasn't about to repeat it.

Anna gave him a sceptical look and she looked to Ethan for confirmation. The seer nodded and Anna shook her head and sighed. "I guess I'll just have to take your word for it."

_Yes! She swallowed it! Thank goodness. _

"Maybe you slipped and hit your head." Ethan suggested. Anna ran her hand through her hair and looked down at her photograph. "I swear I'm a magnet for the weirdest things."

"If you want you could see a doctor about it."

"No!" Both boys jumped a little at the sudden outburst. Anna smiled apologetically. "Sorry, I just...don't like doctors. I'll be fine. Besides, it's not as if I missed anything important right? Just another stupid haunted house."

Benny disguised his laugh with a cough. "Yep. Nothing happened. Nothing you need to remember anyway."

Anna looked down at her photo. "This is useless. It's not even of me, just some random kid." Anna scrunched it up and threw it in the bin. "If you don't mind I think I'd like to go home."

Benny smiled and put his arm round both Ethan and Anna's shoulders. "I think we all need to go home."

The three walked in a comfortable silence for a few seconds when the heavens opened and the trio were forced to sprint to the car.

A small girl stepped slowly into the rain, clutching her arm to her chest, a straw hat sitting at an odd angle on her head. With large blue eyes she surveyed the tents around her and she let out a quiet, almost inaudible whimper.

"Sister?"

* * *

><p><strong> Wow. Didn't think I'd ever finish that carnival arc. Hopefully I've left you with a few questions which, rest assured, I shall answer. Just not right away. Hope you enjoyed it!<strong>

** And I will make myself write this story because I'd forgotten how much I'd enjoyed it. Thanks go to all who have supported me and I can only hope I do not disappoint. Merry Christmas and God bless!**

** ~ Secret Agent Codename Bob**


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